tihvavy  of  trhe  theological  Seminar;? 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

Delavan  L.  Pierson 
BV  3215  .J48  1909 
Jewett,  Mary.  ! 

Reminiscences  of  my  life  in 
Persia 


MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 
A  REMINISCENCE 


MISS  JEWETT 


REMINISCENCE 
OF  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

MARY  JEWETT 


WITH  INTRODUCTION 

BY 

ROBERT  E.  SPEER 


THE  TORCH  PRESS 

CEDAR  RAPIDS.  IOWA 

1909 


DEDICATED  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  MY  BE- 
LOVED AND  HONORED  FATHER,  WHO  GA\TE 
HIS  ELDEST  CHILD  TO  THE  WORK  OF  FOR- 
EIGN MISSIONS  AND  SOON  AFTER  LAID 
DOWN  HIS  OWN  LIFE  IN  THE  WORK  OF 
HOME   MISSIONS 


PEEFACE 

When  in  the  providence  of  God  my  duty  had 
been  made  plain  to  me  that  I  should  retire  from 
active  service  on  the  foreign  field  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  my  days  in  the  home  land,  I  was 
glad  that  they  said  to  me  **Come  and  tell  us  of 
your  life  and  work, ' '  hoping  thus  to  do  something 
for  the  cause.  I  soon  found  that  it  is  very  little 
that  can  be  told  in  the  short  time  given  for  a 
missionary  address.  So  I  felt  impelled  to  write 
it  out,  and  thus  tell  more  fully  of  my  experiences 
in  Persia.  My  little  book  is  not  a  history,  nor  is 
it  a  diary  or  a  journal.  It  does  not  go  into  deep 
things,  but  is  only  a  simple  story  of  my  missionary 
life,  with  greetings  to  my  many  friends  whose  love 
and  prayers  have  been  a  help  and  blessing  to  me 
all  the  years.  I  have  been  guided  in  the  selection 
of  matter  by  questions  that  have  been  asked  me, 
and  what  I  have  written  is  largely  answers  to  such 
questions.  I  beg  of  my  readers  leniency  in  judg- 
ment, for  my  work  is  far  from  perfect ;  but  imper- 
fection marks  all  our  labors  here  below.  With  the 
salutation  of  the  East  I  greet  you 

*  *  Sala  'am-alakum ' ' 
Peace  be  unto  you. 


CONTENTS 

Introduction 9 

I.     Going  to  Persia 13 

II.    Learning  the  Language  and  Beginnings 

OF  Work 27 

III.  Azerbyjan 36 

IV.  How  We  Live  in  Persia          .        .        .  45 
V.     Religions 64 

VI.     Tabriz   for   Christ           ....  80 

VII.     How  We  Work 95 

VIII.    Woman's  Work  for  Woman          .        .  106 

IX.     Touring              119 

X.     Some  Tours  I  Have  Made        ...  129 

XI.     Khoi 146 

XII.     Mahmud             159 

XIII.  Rabbi  Rachel 167 

XIV.  Does  it   Pay? 175 

XV.    Just  a  Word  More          ....  182 

Glossary 189 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


Miss  Jewett 

Rose  Tree  at  Tabriz 

Ladies  on  a  Journey 

Buffalo  Team  Drawing  Hay 

Women  Returning  from  Harvest 

Field         .... 
The  Azan,  or  Call  to  Prayer 
Dervish,  or  Wandering  Holy  Man 
Tabriz  .... 

Women  Grinding  at  the  Mill 
Matron  and  Pupils,  Girls'  School 
Persian  Gentleman 
Armenian  Women  in  Maragha 
Moslem  Village  Women  at  Work 
Where  We  Dwelt  Six  Weeks 
In  Front  of  a  Tea  House 
Moslem  Women  Churning.  . 
Tent  in  the  Mountains 
Mahmud,  His  Mother  and  Niece 


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INTRODUCTION 

Persia  is  still  one  of  the  unaltered  lands  of 
the  Orient.  The  tide  of  Western  material  civiliza- 
tion carrying  with  it  schools,  commercial  houses, 
railways,  trolley  cars,  and  the  English  language, 
which  has  poured  over  Japan,  Korea,  China,  Siam, 
and  India,  has  not  yet  spread  to  Persia.  There 
are  no  railways.  There  is  one  German  school  in 
the  capital,  subsidized  by  the  German  Government 
and  so  Mohammedanized  in  its  religious  exercises, 
conducted  daily  by  a  Mollah,  as  to  give  no  offence 
to  Islam.  But  the  land  is  still,  save  for  one  influ- 
ence, undisturbed  in  its  Oriental  stagnancy. 

That  one  influence  is  not  the  modem  spirit  of 
independence  demanding  constitutional  govern- 
ment. This  spirit  has  come  to  Persia.  The  tri- 
umph of  Japan  over  Russia  and  the  growth  of 
nationalism  throughout  Asia  have  affected  Persia 
as  they  have  affected  all  of  Asia.  Newspapers 
have  sprung  up.  Public  discussion  has  claimed 
the  liberty  of  opinion  and  of  expression  of  opinion. 
Local  self-governing  bodies  have  been  organized 
in  many  cities,  sometimes  quite  usurping  the  power 
of  the  officials  representing  the  Shah.  All  this 
ferment  promises  new  conditions.  But  in  spite 
of  it  all,  the  old  Persia  is  still  there.  The  surface 
has  been  stirred  but  the  national  character  has 
been  unchanged. 


10  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

The  one  influence  which  has  wrought  construc- 
tively in  the  life  of  the  nation  has  been  the  mis- 
sionary influence.  The  only  good  schools  and 
almost  all  the  hospitals,  indeed  all  of  them  outside 
of  the  capital,  have  been  the  institution  of  the 
missionaries.  The  missionary  has  been  the  only 
foreigner  who  has  settled  down  and  learned  the 
language  of  the  people  and  lived  among  them. 
Others  have  come  and  gone  but  he  has  remained. 
The  traveler  and  explorer  have  passed  through, 
reading  the  great  inscriptions,  the  rug  buyer  has 
come  and  departed,  the  Consul  and  Minister  have 
stayed  as  long  as  they  had  to  and  have  then 
eagerly  escaped.  But  the  missionary  has  come 
and  lived  and  died  in  Persia. 

In  consequence,  he  has  known  the  people  as 
no  one  else  has.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  travel- 
ing visitors  and  men  in  diplomatic  service  have 
written  good  books.  ^^Haji  Baba''  is  a  classic 
picture  of  Persian  character.  Curzon's  *^ Persia'* 
is  still  a  good  standard  work.  Browne's  ^^A  Year 
Among  the  Persians''  is  a  marvel  of  vivid  and 
faithful  portrayal  of  the  mind  and  ways  of  the 
people.  But  only  the  missionaries  have  the  knowl- 
edge which  comes  from  long  years  of  intimacy  and 
personal  contact,  such  knowledge  as  in  China  and 
Japan  others  besides  the  missionaries  possess. 
And  especially  in  the  case  of  the  family  life  and 
the  lot  of  women,  the  woman  missionary  knows 
what  no  traveler  can  ever  know,  not  even  a  trav- 
eler like  Mrs.  Bishop. 

Miss  Jewett  was  for  thirty-six  years  one  of 
these  missionaries  in  Persia.    In  city  and  country 


INTRODUCTORY  11 

slie  went  to  and  fro  among  the  people,  and  in  their 
homes  for  more  than  a  generation.  I  remember 
visiting  her  while  she  was  living  alone  at  Mian- 
duab,  a  little  town  south  of  Urumia  Lake.  The 
Moslem  and  Armenian  women  of  the  town  crowded 
her  home,  and  the  men  and  the  children  came  as 
freely  to  her.  As  we  rode  away  one  frosty  No- 
vember morning,  our  last  picture  of  her  was  as 
she  stood  in  her  doorway,  a  gray-haired  open- 
faced  figure  among  the  group  of  chuddar-covered 
women  who  stood  about  her  leaning  their  weak 
and  evil  lives  against  her  strength  and  love. 

I  am  glad  to  commend  Miss  Jewett^s  clear 
and  careful  account  of  the  life  which  she  knew  in 
Persia,  presented  here  in  such  simple  and  attrac- 
tive style,  for  the  information  of  those  friends 
of  Persia  at  home  who  would  understand  better 
in  order  that  they  may  help  more. 

For  the  need  of  help  is  great,  and  the  oppor- 
tunities were  never  richer  than  now.  Whatever 
reactions  may  come,  there  is  to  be  henceforth  a 
new  liberty  of  investigation  and  discussion  in  the 
Moslem  lands  and  nowhere  more  than  in  Persia. 
To  a  people  in  need  shall  not  the  thing  that  they 
need  be  given  —  not  mere  secular  education,  not 
mere  political  agitation,  not  mere  constitutional 
change,  but  the  life  of  God  and  the  light  of  men 
in  Christ! 

EoBEKT  E.  Speer 


A  EEMINISCENCE  OF  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

I 

GOING  TO   PERSIA 

I  have  been  retro specting,  going  over  in  mind 
thirty-six  years  of  my  life  —  those  years  in  which 
I  was  actively  engaged  in  missionary  work. 
What  experiences!  What  happenings!  What 
providences!  What  joys  and  sorrows,  nps  and 
downs,  comings  and  goings!  What  progress! 
What  changes  in  these  thirty-six  years!  Many 
things  have  not  been  recorded,  many  things  have 
been  forgotten,  many  things  that  once  seemed  in- 
teresting, do  now,  after  the  lapse  of  years,  seem 
scarcely  worth  mentioning.  Some  things  stand 
out  in  the  halls  of  memory,  never  to  be  forgotten, 
and  full  of  interest  as  ever. 


14  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

When  in  1871  the  call  came  to  me  to  go  to  do 
mission  work  in  Persia,  I  hesitated  not,  but  said 
* '  I  will  go.  ^ '  Then  followed  preparations  for  the 
long  journey  thither  and  for  the  long  sojourn  in 
a  strange  land.  I  knew  nothing  of  what  was 
needed,  what  to  do,  or  how  to  get  ready.  I  soon 
found  that  /  had  nothing  to  do,  only  to  let  others 
do  for  me.  Kind  and  devoted  friends  in  Iowa, 
especially  in  the  towns  of  Marshalltown,  Cedar 
Rapids,  and  Vinton,  took  me  up,  furnished  my  out- 
fit and  sent  me  on  my  way  with  many  tokens  of 
love  and  with  their  prayers  and  benedictions, 
which  have  followed  and  blessed  me  all  these 
years.  Oh,  the  inestimable  value  of  such  friend- 
ship !  In  it  they  have  been  blessed  —  and  I.  I 
pass  lightly  over  the  parting  with  loved  ones. 
The  time  from  my  appointment  to  the  time  of  my 
sailing  was  very  short,  and  some  of  those  dearest 
of  all,  I  could  not  see.  Some  I  have  not  seen  since, 
for  they  passed  over  the  river  before  even  my  first 
visit  home. 

August  9th,  1871,  we  steamed  out  of  New 
York  harbor.  Besides  myself  there  were  in  our 
party.  Rev.  James  Bassett  and  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren. Rev.  William  R.  Stocking  and  wife,  and  Mrs. 
D.  P.  Cochran  with  her  two  daughters,  the  latter 
returning  to  Persia  from  a  visit  in  the  home  land. 
Mrs.  Cochran,  a  devoted  '^Mother  in  Israel," 
loved  and  honored  by  all  who  knew  her,  lived  and 
labored  until  the  winter  of  1893,  when  she  went  to 
her  rest  after  more  than  forty-seven  years  of  mis- 
sionary life.     Mrs.  Stocking,  so  lovely  and  con- 


GOING  TO  PERSIA  15 

secrated  I  could  only  think  of  her  as  an  angel  of 
light,  remained  with  us  but  one  short  year  when 
she  was  taken  to  her  heavenly  home.  The  others 
were  afterwards  called  to  different  fields  of  labor 
on  earth.  Dr.  Irving,  of  blessed  memory,  then  one 
of  the  secretaries  of  the  Board,  came  on  deck  to 
bid  the  outgoing  missionaries  God-speed  and  good- 
bye. As  he  grasped  my  hand  and  told  me  what 
he  expected  of  me,  I  resolved,  by  the  grace  of  God, 
to  try  to  prove  worthy  of  his  expectations.  Then 
there  were  my  fellow  missionary  workers  to  be- 
come acquainted  with,  as  at  that  time  they  were 
all  strangers  to  me.  After  sundry  offerings  to 
Neptune,  and  several  days  and  nights  spent  in 
the  state-room  bunk,  I  crawled  out  on  deck,  and 
reclining  in  a  steamer  chair,  thought  of  home  and 
loved  ones  left  behind. 

The  voyage  was  a  pleasant  one,  though  less 
speedy  than  voyages  nowadays.  We  were  ten 
days  crossing  the  Atlantic,  and  reached  Liverpool 
Saturday  evening  the  19th.  Resting  in  Liverpool 
over  Sabbath,  we  went  the  next  day  to  London, 
where  we  remained  a  few  days.  Then  followed  a 
fine  trip  across  Europe  via  Dover  and  English 
Channel  to  Ostend,  thence  across  the  country  via 
Cologne  and  Nuremburg  to  Vienna,  thence  to  Basi- 
as  on  the  Danube,  then  by  boat  down  the  pictur- 
esque, rock-bound  windings  of  that  magnificent 
river  to  Ruschuk,  then  again  by  rail  to  Varna  on 
the  Black  Sea,  whence  we  went  by  steamer  to  Con- 
stantinople.   Approaching  that  great  city  we  had 


16  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

a  fine  view  of  palaces,  mosques,  minarets,  beautiful 
gardens,  rugged  cliffs,  channels,  inlets  and  outlets 
and  innumerable  ships  and  boats.  It  was  a  sight 
well  worth  seeing.  But  how  great  was  the  feeling 
of  disappointment  on  getting  into  the  city  and 
passing  along  the  narrow,  dirty  streets,  crowded 
with  lazy  Turks  and  mangy  dogs.  It  was  pleasant 
to  be  met  by  missionary  gentlemen,  with  a  hearty 
welcome,  among  them  Rev.  J.  G.  Cochran,  who  had 
come  from  Persia  to  meet  his  family.  Cordially 
and  lovingly  the  missionaries  in  Constantinople 
received  us  into  their  homes  and  entertained  us 
during  the  few  days  we  were  in  that  city.  I  was 
the  guest  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Tracy,  then  stationed 
in  Constantinople,  but  who  have  since  labored 
in  the  interior  of  Turkey.  We  improved  our  op- 
portunity of  seeing  some  of  the  sights  in  Constan- 
tinople, as  the  Hippodrome,  the  costumes  of  the 
Janizaries,  the  Mosque  of  St.  Sophia,  etc.  We 
crossed  the  Bridge  of  Boats,  where  it  is  said  that 
every  nationality  on  earth  is  represented,  went 
through  the  curious  and  thronged  bazaars,  rode  in 
a  caique,  visited  the  Bible  House  and  some  of  the 
missionary  homes. 

Again  we  were  on  the  stormy  Euxine  bound 
for  Trebizond.  Exceedingly  amusing  was  the 
landing  at  Trebizond.  We  were  paddled  toward 
the  shore  in  a  little  boat,  where  it  seemed  we  must 
hold  on  tight  or  tumble  into  the  water.  Near  the 
shore  we  met  a  motley  crowd  of  funny  looking 
men  standing  in  the  shallow  water  with  trousers 
rolled  up  to  knee  waiting  to  help  us  ashore.    In 


GOING  TO  PERSIA  17 

the  midst  of  yells  and  screams  and  indescribable 
noise  they  dragged  the  boat  a  little  nearer  land; 
but  still  in  water  it  kept  bobbing  up  and  down  with 
the  rise  and  fall  of  the  waves.  Then,  watching 
her  opportunity,  when  the  wave  would  recede,  a 
lady  would  give  a  hand  to  a  man  on  each  side  of 
her,  and  with  their  help  make  a  spring  over  water 
and  mud,  and  fortunate  would  she  be  if  she  landed 
on  dry  ground  with  dry  feet.  Then  right  along 
with  horses,  mules,  donkeys,  men  carrying  boxes 
and  trunks  on  their  backs,  men  carrying  children 
in  their  arms  and  men  with  arms  full  of  bundles, 
tired  and  anxious  missionaries,  dodging  this  way 
and  that  to  keep  out  of  mud  and  out  of  the  way 
of  animals  and  men,  we  reached  a  house  where  we 
were  to  camp  down  during  our  stay  in  Trebizond. 
We  were  hungry,  and  some  queerly  cooked  meat 
and  bread  and  some  coffee  were  brought.  I  dis- 
covered that  we  were  in  an  old  building  that  had 
once  been  used  as  a  church,  and  I  took  possession 
of  the  space  behind  the  pulpit,  called  it  my  play- 
house and  amused  myself  arranging  my  bed  and 
other  things.  The  rest  of  the  building  was  divided 
into  compartments  by  the  stretching  of  curtains. 
There  was  a  gathering  together  of  saddles,  bridles, 
whips,  horse  blankets,  tents,  camp  bedsteads,  bed- 
ding, folding  chairs,  waterproof  cloaks,  rubber 
sheets,  food  and  cooking  utensils.  Among  the 
last  were  plates  (unbreakable),  cups  and  saucers, 
knives,  forks,  spoons,  etc.  Bags  innumerable,  of 
all  sizes,  were  provided  for  carr^dng  these  things 
and  our  clothing  and  personal  effects.    I  was  much 


18  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

interested  in  the  provision  chest,  in  which  were 
packed  these  table  utensils,  together  with  rice, 
flour,  cheese,  crackers,  cakes,  bread,  sugar,  tea, 
coffee,  macaroni,  etc.,  for  we  were  to  travel 
through  a  country  where  people  do  not  live  like 
Americans.  After  several  days  of  diligent  prepa- 
ration all  things  were  read}^,  horses  hired  and  last 
things  all  done.  We  lay  down  at  night  expecting 
to  start  early  in  the  morning.  Morning  came,  but 
horses  did  not  come.  The  muleteers  were  hunted 
up  and  the  horses  demanded.  They  had  some 
atfairs  of  their  own  to  attend  to  and  were  not 
yet  ready.  They  said,  ^^We  will  not  go  to-day. '^ 
No  power  could  move  them.  A  day  and  a  night 
we  waited.  Again  the  next  morning  they  said, 
*'We  will  not  go  to-day.''  I  became  impatient. 
An  older  missionary  gave  me  some  good  advice. 
He  said,  ^ '  There  are  three  things  above  all  needed 
by  the  missionary :  the  first  is  patience,  the  second 
is  patience,  the  third  is  patience. ' '  Finally,  after 
several  days  of  waiting,  and  when  patience  was 
nearly,  if  not  quite  exhausted,  we  started,  or  as  we 
say  in  Persia,  using  a  Persian  idiom,  ''we  fell  on 
the  way."  Our  first  day's  ride  was  slow  and 
short,  only  a  few  miles.  We  stopped  for  the  night 
on  a  plain  near  a  village.  Tents  were  set  up  and 
curtains  hung.  We  arranged  our  belongings  for 
the  night  and  lay  down  for  a  rest  until  the  steam- 
ing tea  urn  was  brought.  We  drank  and  were 
refreshed.  Supper  was  served  on  a  cloth  spread 
on  some  rugs  on  the  ground,  after  which  we  lay 
down  for  the  night,  but  not  until  there  had  been  a 


GOING  TO  PERSIA  19 

prayer  with  thanksgiving  and  a  committing  of 
ourselves  to  our  merciful  Heavenly  Father's  care 
for  the  night  and  the  coming  days.  At  the  early 
dawn  we  were  awakened  by  sounds  of  quarreling, 
with  yells  and  screams.  One  of  the  party,  new 
and  inexperienced,  rose  in  great  distress  and 
called  to  Mr.  Cochran,  ^^Our  muleteers  are  fight- 
ing.'' He  received  a  laughing  reply  and  was 
advised  to  lie  down  and  take  it  easy,  for  it  is  their 
custom  to  thus  do  much  fighting  with  one  another 
and  there  was  no  danger.  After  an  early  break- 
fast, and  while  the  muleteers  and  our  native 
attendants  were  arranging  the  loads,  a  prayer  was 
offered.  And  after  much  loud  talking,  quarreling 
and  delay,  boxes,  trunks,  saddles  and  huge  saddle 
bags  were  arranged  on  the  horses,  the  last  ropes 
and  straps  were  drawn  taut,  the  last  knot  tied, 
and  we  were  again  mounted  and  on  our  way.  All 
the  time  the  rain  poured  down,  and  it  rained  all 
day.  So  right  at  the  beginning  we  had  use  for  our 
rain  cloaks  and  our  waterproof  clothing.  Some 
times  on  the  journey  there  would  be  a  literal 
^'falling  on  the  way,"  as  some  horse  would  stum- 
ble and  fall,  spilling  rider  and  load  on  the  ground, 
or  boxes  would  be  tumbled  into  a  muddy  stream, 
or  a  poor,  tired  animal  would  lie  down  under  his 
load  with  no  strength  or  desire  to  rise.  One  day 
we  enjoyed  a  hearty  laugh  at  the  steward  of  the 
party  —  a  Nestorian  deacon  from  Urumia.  On 
the  horse  he  rode  were  huge  saddle  bags  loaded 
with  traps  for  use  on  the  journey.  On  top  of  the 
saddle  bags  were  his  bed,  quilt  and  pillow  made 


20  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

into  a  big  bundle,  and  on  top  of  all  sat  the  deacon 
attired  in  a  green  coat  with  gathered  skirt  and 
lined  with  red,  on  his  head  a  turban  of  an  astra- 
khan cap  with  a  red  scarf  wound  around  it,  and 
a  gun  swung  over  his  shoulder.  Suddenly  his 
horse  stumbled  and  fell  and  he  rolled  over  in  the 
dust.  As  he  picked  himself  up  he  solemnly  re- 
marked in  broken  English,  '^You  laugh  me  now, 
next  day  I  laugh  you.''  Sure  enough  he  did,  for 
next  day  some  one  else  had  a  similar  experience. 
We  truly  were  a  funny  looking  caravan  com- 
pany, gentlemen  and  ladies  on  American  saddles, 
Nestorian  attendants  with  their  queer  dress, 
mounted  high  on  the  loaded  pack  saddles,  boxes, 
trunks,  tents  and  great  saddle  bags  strapped  on 
to  the  clumsy  pack  saddles,  Mrs.  Bassett  and  baby 
in  a  taklitrawan,  and  little  girls  carried  in  baskets 
arranged  with  seats,  one  on  each  side  of  a  horse. 
As  we  slowly  moved  along  we  whiled  away  the 
time  in  conversation  with  one  another.  I  began 
picking  up  words  in  the  language  I  was  to  use. 
I  learned  to  count,  to  ask  for  water,  milk,  bread 
and  necessary  things.  Sometimes  I  would  laugh 
at  the  queerly  dressed  and  queerly  acting  people 
and  funny  sights  along  the  way.  Sometimes  I 
was  ready  to  cry  from  very  weariness  and  discom- 
fort. Over  mountains,  valleys  and  plains,  at  times 
overcome  with  heat  or  suffering  with  cold,  now 
and  again  stopping  to  gaze  upon  the  magnificent 
scenery  as  one  grand  view  followed  another  in 
quick  succession  —  verdure  covered  hills  —  some 


GOING  TO  PERSIA  21 

mountains  covered  with  forests,  some  without  a 
tree  —  mountain  streams  and  waterfalls  —  gaz- 
ing flocks  and  herds  —  the  ^  ^  cattle  on  a  thousand 
hills"  —  villages  on  mountain  sides,  or  in  valleys, 
or  on  plains  —  gorges,  precipices,  forests,  ever- 
greens, mosses,  crocuses  —  up,  up,  above  the 
clouds,  then  down  again.  I  enjoyed  the  nights 
and  rested  comfortably  when  the  tents  were 
pitched,  but  when  we  stopped  for  the  night  in  the 
houses  of  the  people,  or  in  stables,  in  the  midst 
of  fleas,  dirt,  close  quarters  and  bad  air,  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  sleep  or  rest.  Never  were 
the  evening  and  morning  prayers  omitted,  and  in 
every  prayer  the  dear  home  land  and  the  loved 
ones  there  were  remembered.  Then  would  we  lie 
down  in  peace  and  safety  for  the  Lord  did  protect. 
How  delightful  were  the  Sabbath  days  on  that 
journey,  when  plans  and  efforts  having  been  made 
to  reach  some  stopping  place  cleaner  and  more 
comfortable  than  usual,  the  Sabbath  days  were 
really  rest  days.  How  we  enjoyed  the  sweet, 
simple  services  of  worship  on  those  days,  singing 
our  sacred  songs,  reading  our  Bibles,  engaging  in 
quiet  conversation  and  meditation,  in  just  lying 
still  or  in  taking  quiet  walks. 

How  delightful  were  the  few  days  spent  in  the 
homes  of  the  missionaries  in  Erzroom  in  Turkey. 
Then  again  we  rode  over  steep  mountain  passes 
and  dreary  plains.  We  crossed  the  Euphrates 
and  visited  an  old  Gregorian  church,  where 
among  other  relics  we  were  shown  the  hand  of 


22  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

John  the  Baptist!  How  our  hearts  thrilled  as 
snow  capped  Mt.  Ararat  in  all  his  glory  loomed 
up  before  us.  As  we  slowly  reached  the  top  of 
the  mountain  range  that  forms  the  boundary  be- 
tween Turkey  and  Persia,  my  companion  said, 
i  i  There  is  Persia. ' '  With  wondering  eyes,  I  gazed 
on  that  strange  land.  A  village  was  pointed  out. 
I  looked  in  vain  for  the  abode  of  civilization.  Low 
mud  huts  huddled  together,  with  narrow,  crooked 
dirty  alleys  for  streets,  heaps  of  manure  and  piles 
of  straw  were  what  I  saw.  Queer  looking  people 
were  moving  about;  there  were  droves  of  cows, 
flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  dogs  barking  and  un- 
heard-of noise.  A  few  trees  had  been  planted 
outside  the  village,  giving  some  shade  and  show 
of  comfort.  A  stream  of  water  ran  along  by  the 
village.  In  a  muddy  pond  wallowed  some  buffa- 
loes. A  string  of  camels,  loaded  with  bales  of 
cotton  and  Persian  rugs,  were  slowly  and  clumsily 
winding  along  their  way.  There  we  were  to  spend 
the  night.  A  comfortless  night  it  was.  Back- 
ward, downward  had  we  traveled  until  we  had 
reached  a  land  of  darkness.  Strange  indeed 
seemed  the  country  and  the  people. 

As  we  crossed  the  last  mountain  pass  before 
reaching  Urumia,  a  never  to  be  forgotten  sight 
burst  upon  our  view.  It  was  the  beautiful  blue 
waters  of  Lake  Urumia,  lying  calm  and  bright  in 
the  sunlight.  Here  and  there  above  its  surface 
appeared  small  islands,  some  of  them  rising  moun- 
tain high.     A  clear  stream  rippled  down  toward 


GOING  TO  PERSIA  23 

the  lake.  On  plain  and  mountain  side  were  little 
towns  and  villages  surrounded  with  green,  looking 
clean  in  the  distance,  like  oases  in  the  desert,  and 
all  teeming  with  life.  It  seemed  a  happy  intro- 
duction to  the  home  of  my  adoption.  On  the  18th 
of  October  we  reached  Urumia.  The  last  day  but 
one  of  our  journey,  as  we  were  riding  on  we  saw 
two  missionary  gentlemen  on  horses  galloping 
toward  us.  Then  a  little  fun  was  planned.  One 
of  the  party  said,  '^ Let's  not  tell  them  which  is 
which  and  see  if  they  will  know  which  of  the  two 
young  and  new  missionaries  is  Mrs.  Stocking  and 
which  Miss  Jewett.''  The  next  day  we  met  a 
carriage  full  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  coming  to 
meet  us,  more  gentlemen  horseback  and  quite  a 
company  of  native  friends.  We  entered  the  city 
gate  through  high  surrounding  walls,  then  through 
a  great,  strong  gate  and  more  walls  into  the 
Mission  premises,  all  these  gates  and  walls  being 
necessary  for  safety  and  built  around  all  the 
houses  in  all  the  cities  in  Persia.  The  gates  are 
kept  locked  at  night  and  sentinels  are  stationed  at 
them  in  the  day  time.  I  felt  at  first  as  though  I 
were  a  prisoner,  but  soon  learned  to  be  glad  of  the 
security  they  afforded.  The  glad  greetings  of  the 
native  people,  the  cordial  hospitality  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  resting  in  their  comfortable  homes, 
made  me  rejoice  that  the  journey  of  two  months 
and  nine  days,  of  which  six  weeks  were  on  horse- 
back from  Trebizond  to  Urumia,  was  ended,  and 
now  I  was  where  I  could  engage  in  the  blessed 
work  to  which  the  Lord  had  called  me. 


24  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

During  the  years  there  have  been  many 
changes,  one  of  which  is  the  difference  in  time 
required  to  make  the  journey  between  New  York 
and  Persia.  Now  there  is  a  railroad  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Russia  reaching  to  the  border  line,  and 
a  wagon  post-road  in  Persia  extending  north  to 
meet  the  railroad  in  Eussia.  So  when  I  came 
home  in  1907  carriages  drawn  by  four  horses 
abreast  brought  us  in  two  days  the  eighty  miles 
from  Tabriz  to  Julfa.  This  is  the  port  of  passage 
between  Persia  and  Russia,  on  the  Aras  River, 
which  is  the  dividing  line  between  these  two  coun- 
tries. At  Julfa  passports  are  examined,  and  woe 
to  the  traveler  who,  by  any  mishap,  has  not  his  or 
her  passport  always  ready  at  hand  and  properly 
viseed  when  traveling  in  Russia.  Those  Bears  of 
the  North  count  it  a  very  indispensable  adjunct 
of  traveling,  and  the  would-be  traveler  who  has 
not  one  will  be  either  turned  back  or  taken  to 
Siberia,  or  held  in  custody  until  one  may  be  ob- 
tained through  the  Consul  of  his  country.  From 
Julfa  we  came  by  rail  to  Batoum,  a  port  on  the  east 
coast  of  the  Black  Sea.  As  the  Russians  never 
hurry,  we  were  much  longer  than  we  should  have 
been  in  reaching  Batoum.  There  we  tarried  three 
days  waiting  for  the  steamer,  on  which  we  were 
twelve  days  passing  through  the  entire  length  of 
the  Black  Sea,  through  the  Bosphorus  —  the  Sea 
of  Marmora  —  the  Dardanelles  —  the  Archipelago 
—  south  of  Greece  —  past  Italy  and  Sicily  through 
the  Mediterranean  to  Marseilles.  Too  late  for  the 
train  to  Paris,  we  rested  at  Marseilles  one  night 
and  day,  and  another  night  and  day  brought  us  to 


GOING  TO  PERSIA  25 

London.  There  a  delay  of  a  week  and  then  to 
Liverpool  and  across  the  Atlantic  to  New  York. 
With  all  delays,  this  journey  was  one  month  and 
three  days  shorter  than  the  one  from  New  York 
to  Persia  in  1871. 

From  the  first  the  appearance  of  Persia  im- 
pressed me  as  a  country  full  of  resources,  which 
with  a  liberal  government,  a  true  Christianity  and 
a  free,  enterprising  people,  would  be  equal  to  any. 
Experience  has  borne  me  out  in  this,  my  first  im- 
pression, which  may  be  verified  when  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God  the  inliabitants  shall  become  enlight- 
ened, the  mountains  shall  yield  up  their  stores  of 
mineral  wealth,  and  the  valleys  shall  be  filled  with 
homes  of  comfort  and  plenty.  The  natives  were 
not  attractive  to  me  then.  Many  things  were  for- 
bidding, and  the  slow,  leisurely  movements  of 
those  who  were  never  in  a  hurry,  knew  no  reason 
for  haste  and  had  no  enterprise,  were  very  trying. 
I  was  glad  I  could  not  talk  to  them  until  I  should 
become  somewhat  acquainted  with  them,  should 
learn  to  love  them  and  could  understand  and  sym- 
pathize with  them. 

I  was  soon  introduced  to  sorrow  and  death, 
for  Mr.  Cochran,  after  two  weeks  of  pain  and  suf- 
fering, passed  away  on  the  2nd  of  November.  He 
was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Sier,  where  lie  the 
bodies  of  many  sainted  missionaries  and  their 
children.  Like  all  Christians,  I  can  testify  from 
experience  that  ''whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chas- 
teneth,"  and  that  through  bereavement  and 
mourning  He  oftentimes  sees  fit  to  prepare  them 


26  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

for  their  work.  Only  five  months  after  reaching 
Persia  I  received  word  of  the  death  of  my  father, 
whom  I  had  left  robust  and  well.  Again,  like 
others,  I  must  become  acclimated,  which  in  my 
case  ended  in  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever. 


II 

LEARNING  THE   LANGUAGE   AND   BEGINNINGS  OF   WORK 

The  first  work  of  the  missionary  in  any  for- 
eign land  is  the  learning  of  the  language  which 
is  to  be  his  or  her  medium  of  communication  with 
the  people.  Persian  is  not  the  one  and  only  lan- 
guage of  Persia.  It  is  the  language  of  the 
Southern  and  Eastern  part  of  the  country,  but 
the  language  of  the  North  and  West  is  Turkish. 
Nor  is  this  the  only  language  used  in  that  region. 
There  are  in  the  country  several  nationalities,  each 
having  its  own  distinct  and  separate  language, 
viz:  Syriac,  Hebrew,  Armenian,  and  Kurdish. 
Turkish  is  understood  by  all  in  Northwest  Per- 
sia and  is  very  extensively  spoken,  not  only 
in  Turkey  and  Northwest  Persia,  but  also  in 
Southern  Kussia,  in  Eastern  China,  Afghanistan, 
Beluchistan,  and  adjoining  countries.  So  those 
who  have  the  command  of  this  language  can  travel 
through  these  countries,  communicating  with  their 
millions  of  inhabitants  and  preaching  the  gospel 
to  them.  Still  it  is  not  in  all  these  countries  a 
written  language,  for  most  of  the  people  are  il- 
literate, very  few  being  able  to  read.  Not  hav- 
ing a  literature,  different  people  in  different  dis- 
tricts pronounce  the  same  words  differently  and 
use  different  words  for  the  same  thing.  Thus  it 
follows  that  there  are  many  dialects.  In  order 
to  work  successfully  in  any  region  one  must  learn 


28  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

the  dialect  of  that  region.  The  dialect  used  in 
Northwest  Persia  is  the  Tartar  Turkish,  a  dialect 
very  different  from  the  Turkish  spoken  in  Turkey, 
which  latter  is  called  Osmanli  Turkish.  Those 
who  have  learned  the  Osmanli  Turkish  think  it 
a  very  beautiful  language.  Tartar  Turkish  is  not 
so.  It  is  a  rude,  barbarous  language,  with  no 
literature  and  no  polish.  It  has  strong  roots  and 
has  borrowed  many  words  from  Arabic  and  Per- 
sian. It  is  a  strong,  forcible  language,  well  adapt- 
ed to  preaching  to  a  barbarous  people.  This  was 
the  language  given  me  to  learn.  There  were  then 
no  books  in  it  and  to  learn  it  was  no  easy  task. 
But  enthusiasm  and  perseverance  won  the  victory. 
The  air  seemed  full  of  words,  I  trying  to  catch 
them  and  they  continually  eluding  my  grasp.  I 
kept  listening,  or  as  we  say  in  Persia,  ''hanging 
my  ear,''  to  conversations  and  to  preaching,  get- 
ting words,  memorizing  them  and  making  them  my 
own.  A  teacher  was  provided,  and  there  was 
translation  from  English;  a  primer,  a  geography 
and  the  Bible  being  text  books.  It  was  interest- 
ing to  learn  words  and  then  practice  them  on  the 
native  people.  I  would  be  happy  when  I  could 
make  them  understand,  but  alas !  when  they  would 
reply  and  I  could  not  understand  them.  The  work 
of  translating  the  Bible  into  Tartar  Turkish  had 
been  begun,  and  glad  was  the  day  when  I  first 
took  in  my  hand  a  Gospel  of  Matthew  translated 
and  printed  in  this  language,  and  could  read  it. 
This  language  study  was  really  a  very  delight- 
ful work  —  with  difficulties  overcome,  tongue 
trained  to  pronounce  the  strange  sounds,  mind  a 


LEARNING   THE   LANGUAGE  29 

store  house  of  new  words,  ability  to  speak,  read 
and  think  in  Turkish  and  understand  what  others 
were  saying.  Sometimes  there  would  be  hearty 
laughter  over  funny  mistakes.  One  day  a  lady 
told  her  cook  to  make  the  mouse  ready  for  din- 
ner ;  she  meant  chicken,  but  used  the  wrong  word. 
The  poor  cook  was  convulsed  with  laughter.  I 
tried  to  order  my  horse  shod,  and  afterwards 
learned  that  I  had  ordered  gaiters  for  him.  Many 
words  are  similar  in  sound  but  dissimilar  in  mean- 
ing, as  dava  means  medicine,  dawa  —  fighting, 
dewar  —  a  wall,  dawar  —  cattle,  dua  —  prayer. 
One  day  the  horses  were  fighting  and  one  of  the 
ladies,  using  the  wrong  word,  called  out,  '^The 
horses  are  praying;"  ^*6t"  means  horse,  ^^eet" 
—  dog,  ^ '  at ' '  —  meat.  A  gentleman,  who  was 
only  just  learning  the  language,  entertaining  na- 
tive guests  at  his  table,  said,  '^Will  you  have 
some  more  dog!"  Once  on  a  journey,  trying  to 
hasten  some  dilatory  attendants,  I  wished  to  say 
^'Indy  chottin"  —  ^^Now  load  up."  I  did  say 
^ '  Indy  chotliin  "  —  ^  ^  Now  burst. ' '  They  did  near- 
ly burst  with  laughter.  Again,  when  afterwards 
I  was  learning  Armenian  I  made  a  mistake  which 
became  a  standing  joke.  I  used  the  word  ^^  gee- 
nee" —  wine,  instead  of  ^^geen"  —  wife,  and  thus 
instead  of  asking  the  man  for  his  wife,  I  asked 
him  for  wine.  He  brought  me  a  bottle  of  wine  and 
a  wine  glass. 

Building  up  a  literature  in  an  uncultured  lan- 
guage is  an  interesting  occupation.  I  have  done 
a  little  in  that  line,  viz:  the  translation  of  The 
Tract  Primer  from  English  to  Turkish,  some  work 


30  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

on  a  geography,  helping  some  in  Scripture  trans- 
lation, preparing  some  Armenian  tracts  and  con- 
siderable oral  work  for  immediate  use.  I  studied 
Persian  some,  reading  the  New  Testament  and 
Pilgrim  ^s  Progress  in  that  language,  and  speak- 
ing it  brokenly.  It  is  a  beautiful,  polished  lan- 
guage in  which  poets,  scholars,  historians  and  law- 
givers have  expressed  themselves.  In  1871  there 
was  only  one  Mission  Station  in  all  Persia,  and 
that  was  in  Urumia.  From  the  beginning  in  1835 
to  that  time,  the  work  had  been  in  the  Syriac  lan- 
guage and  for  the  Nestorians,  a  Syriac  speaking 
people.  The  workers  saw  and  felt  the  great  need 
of  the  Turkish  speaking  Moslem  population  and 
were  actuated  with  the  desire  to  reach  them  with 
the  gospel.  So  the  policy  had  been  to  use  all  pos- 
sible means  of  winning  their  friendship  and  pre- 
paring the  way  more  and  more  for  preaching 
Christ  to  them.  The  way  was  steadily  opening 
up  for  this  grand  work,  and  I  became  enlisted  in 
the  great  struggle  of  the  age. 

In  Holy  Writ  we  read  of  famines  and  pes- 
tilences. Some  of  my  first  experiences  were  with 
these  things.  Indeed,  during  all  my  life  in  Per- 
sia I  was  familiar  with  famine,  sickness,  suffer- 
ing and  distress  of  all  kinds.  When  I  first  reached 
Urumia  they  had  just  passed  through  a  scourge 
of  cholera.  Beginning  that  winter  and  continu- 
ing on  through  more  than  two  years  there  was 
famine.  Indescribably  wretched  poverty,  dis- 
tress, rags,  hunger,  nakedness,  starvation.  Our 
hearts  ached  for  the  suffering  ones,  knowing  that 
many  of  them  must  soon  die,  and  that  without  hope 


LEARNING   THE   LANGUAGE  31 

of  a  better  life  beyond,  knowing,  too,  that  there 
was  no  need  of  such  suffering.  Had  the  rulers 
been  honorable,  had  there  been  a  spirit  of  phil- 
anthrophy,  had  the  rich  cared  what  became  of  the 
poor,  it  need  not  have  been.  We  need  not  have 
seen  hungry  women  and  children  all  over  the  coun- 
try hunting  roots  and  herbs  and  eating  grass ;  we 
need  not  have  known  of  men  fighting  over  a  few 
grains  of  barley  fallen  from  the  manger  of  the 
rich  man's  horses ;  there  need  not  have  been  black, 
unhealthy  bread  made  of  barley  mixed  with  bran, 
dirt  and  gravel,  the  only  bread  the  wretchedly 
poor  could  get.  It  need  not  have  happened  that 
the  starving  should  eat  human  flesh.  One  day  the 
Nestorian  pastor  of  the  Protestant  Church  in 
Hamadan  missed  his  little  daughter.  She  was 
found  in  the  hands  of  those  who  were  preparing 
to  kill  and  eat  her.  She  was  a  fat  little  girl  and 
would  have  made  them  a  good  meal.  The  rich  had 
plenty.  What  cared  they  for  the  poor!  They 
took  their  money,  their  clothing,  their  houses,  their 
all,  and  said  ^'Let  them  die.''  So  it  was,  not  only 
during  that  famine  of  1871-3,  but  often  since.  As 
I  have  walked  the  streets  in  Tabriz  I  have  heard 
the  cry,  '  ^  Oh  lady !  one  bread  money  give  me,  oh, 
lady !  one  bread  money  give  me. ' '  Turning  to  see 
whence  the  cry,  I  would  behold  a  wretched,  ragged, 
dirty,  nearly  naked  girl  or  woman  or  boy  or  man 
sitting  by  the  wayside  begging.  Only  one  bread 
money!  No  home,  no  friends,  no  comforts,  no 
happiness  in  this  life  or  in  the  life  to  come. 
Thousands  of  such  die  every  year.  In  heat,  in 
cold,  in  storms,  the  famishing  cry  for  bread.     Is 


32  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

there  no  bread?  Is  there  no  shelter?  Can  no 
help  be  found  ?  Many  are  living  in  luxury,  having 
more  than  enough.  Could  they  not  spare  a  pit- 
tance? Have  they  no  pity,  no  mercy,  no  care  for 
the  perishing! 

The  famine  of  1871-3  opened  a  wide  door  for 
work.  The  government  cared  nothing  for  the  des- 
titution and  suffering  and  in  accordance  with  their 
fatalistic  ideas  would  say,  '^It  is  the  will  of  God,'' 
and  do  nothing  to  help.  Christian  nations  came 
to  the  rescue,  as  Christian  men  and  women  of  Eu- 
rope and  America  sent  help.  Large  sums  of 
money  thus  contributed  were  committed  to  the  mis- 
sionaries for  distribution.  They  visited  the  miser- 
able haunts  to  ascertain  by  personal  observation 
conditions  and  needs.  Such  abodes  of  destitution 
and  distress!  Many  could  not  get  any  kind  of  a 
shelter  and  were  passing  the  long  cold  winter 
nights  in  the  streets.  I  have  in  mind  the  picture 
of  a  place,  one  of  many,  where  the  husband,  half 
blind  and  a  cripple,  and  the  hungry  wife  —  both 
in  rags  —  crouched  under  a  quilt  that  had  been 
given  them.  Their  pretty  little  three-year-old 
daughter  seemed  happy  and  contented  with  a  bone 
and  a  crust.  In  the  city  of  Urumia  not  far  from 
the  residences  of  the  missionaries  a  large  room 
and  yard  were  rented,  where  the  famine  sufferers 
assembled  every  day.  A  Nestorian  Christian 
preacher  was  put  in  charge.  At  noon  the  door 
would  be  opened  to  the  waiting  crowds.  Before 
giving  bread  the  preacher  would  preach  to  them. 
They  would  give  eager  attention,  nodding  assent, 
with  tears  running  down  their  sad  pinched  faces 


BEGINNINGS  OF  WORK  33 

as  the  story  of  the  Savior's  love  would  touch 
their  hearts.  Shelter  and  clothing  were  supplied 
for  many,  and  soup  was  furnished  to  the  sick. 
They  would  rehearse  the  words  of  the  preacher, 
and  many  seemed  to  forget  their  hunger  in  feast- 
ing on  the  Bread  of  life.  There  were  those  who, 
on  their  death  beds,  were  visited,  prayed  with  and 
pointed  to  Jesus,  and  who  passed  away  with  the 
name  of  Jesus  on  their  lips  and  peace  in  their 
hearts.  When  the  Persians  saw  that  christians 
of  other  and  far  off  lands  were  sending  food  and 
clothing  they  were  astonished,  and  were  convinced 
that  there  must  be  something  worthy  in  a  religion 
that  manifested  itself  in  such  works  of  mercy. 
Thus  a  good  impression  was  made,  want  was  re- 
lieved and  the  Gospel  was  preached. 

Out  of  this  work  grew  the  first  Mission  School 
for  Moslem  girls  in  Persia.  It  was  on  this  wise. 
I  was  much  interested  in  the  hungry  crowds  that 
gathered  every  day,  and  being  eager  to  do  some- 
thing for  them,  I  would  go  there  with  Bible  in 
hand  and  with  a  reading  prepared  for  them.  The 
women  would  remain  after  the  men  had  gone. 
Then  I  would  have  a  meeting  with  them.  Among 
them  were  some  bright  interesting  girls,  whom  I 
gathered  into  a  room  and  taught.  As  we  had  no 
books  I  had  some  leaflets  prepared  with  letters 
and  easy  words.  At  the  same  time  there  was  an 
opening  in  a  Moslem  village  near  Sier.  Sier  is 
a  mountain  village  four  miles  from  the  city  of 
TJrumia,  where  there  are  also  missionary  homes. 
I  had  often  visited  this  Moslem  village  and  had 
found  there  some  interesting  girls  who  wished  to 


34  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

learn.  So  I  moved  the  girls  from  the  city  to  Sier, 
and  there  gathered  together  all  the  girls.  Three 
horses  carried  all  the  little  company  of  eight  pre- 
cious girls  with  all  the  quilts  and  all  our  school 
property.  As  they  crossed  the  river,  on  reaching 
the  opposite  bank,  two  loads  of  girls  fell,  some  in 
water  and  some  on  dry  land,  but  with  no  serious 
result.  One  of  the  girls  cried,  ^^I  died,  I  died,'' 
but  a  dose  of  castor  oil  restored  her  to  life.  I 
taught  them  reading,  simple  lessons  in  geography 
and  arithmetic,  sewing,  housework  and  cleanliness. 
Above  all  the  higher  lessons,  morality,  honesty,  the 
love  of  God,  love  to  one  another  and  the  way  of 
salvation  through  Jesus  Christ,  were  impressed 
upon  them  as  I  read  and  explained  the  Bible  and 
they  committed  to  memory  some  of  the  sacred 
words.  There  was  no  opposition  worth  mentioning, 
and  the  general  verdict  was  in  our  favor.  They 
said,  ^^  It  is  a  good  thing.  It  is  a  good  work,  taking 
orphans  and  poor  children,  feeding  and  clothing 
them  and  teaching  them  knowledge,  cleanliness 
and  manners."  At  one  time  some  Moslem  priests 
had  a  conference  and  tried  to  influence  the  gov- 
ernor to  stop  the  school,  but  he  did  not  heed  them. 
Companies  of  women  from  the  city  and  from  the 
different  villages  came  from  time  to  time  to  see 
what  we  were  doing.  Thus  opportunities  were 
given  for  preaching  which  we  ever  endeavored  to 
improve.  This  work  continued  steadily  and  pros- 
perously from  May  1st  to  July  21st,  1873,  during 
which  time  I  did  not  leave  the  girls  night  or  day. 
Then  a  vacation  was  given.  The  girls  wept  when 
told  that  school  must  close  for  awhile,  and  all  went 


BEGINNINGS  OF  WORK  35 

away  with  the  best  of  feeling.  I  had  thought  to 
continue  in  this  delightful  work,  but  that  was  not 
my  privilege,  for  I  was  transferred  to  the  newer 
and  more  difficult  field  of  Tabriz. 

After  many  varied  experiences,  encouraging 
and  discouraging,  there  is  now  a  flourishing  Mos- 
lem Girls'  School  in  Urumia.  I  rejoice  to  say  that 
Moslem  girls  are  now  being  taught  by  missionary 
ladies  in  all  our  Mission  Stations  in  Persia. 
There  is  more  and  more  a  growing  sentiment 
among  Moslems  that  girls  as  well  as  boys  may 
learn  to  read,  and  many  are  thus  reading  in  their 
own  abodes. 


Ill 

AZERBYJAN 

The  Persian  ensign  is  the  Lion  and  the  Sun  — 
symbolic  of  strength  and  brightness.     Persia  — 
the  land  of  poets  and  warriors  —  the  land  re- 
nowned  in   ancient   and   Bible   history  —  where 
reigned  Queen  Esther,  Cyrus  the  Persian,  and  Da- 
rius  the   Mede  —  where   lived   Daniel,   the   man 
^'greatly  beloved'^  of  God  —  the  land  whence  came 
the  wise  men  to  worship  the  Babe  in  the  Manger  — 
whose  people  were  once  the  firm  friends  and  de- 
fenders of  God's  chosen  people  —  is  no  longer  Per- 
sia of  the  past.     Mental  and  moral  darkness,  ig- 
norance, superstition  and  sin  have  had  their  bane- 
ful influence  upon  the  people  and  even  upon  the 
very  face  of  the  country.    Quoting  from  Gibbon, 
we  read,  ^^In  the  more  early  ages  of  the  world, 
while  the  forests,  that  covered  Europe,  afforded 
a  retreat  to  a  few  wandering  savages,  the  inhab- 
itants of  Asia  were  already  collected  into  populous 
cities,  and  reduced  under  extensive  empires,  the 
seat  of  arts,  of  luxury  and  of  despotism.''     And 
again,  ^  ^  The  Persians,  long  since  civilized  and  cor- 
rupted, were  very  far  from  possessing  the  martial 
independence  and  the  intrepid  hardiness,  both  of 
mind  and  body,  which  have  rendered  the  Northern 
barbarians  masters  of  the  world.     The  science  of 
war,  that  constituted  the  more  rational  force  of 


AZERBYJAN  37 

Greece  and  Rome  as  it  now  does  of  Europe,  never 
made  any  considerable  progress  in  the  East. 
Those  disciphned  evolutions  which  harmonize  and 
animate  a  confused  multitude  were  unknown  to  the 
Persians.  They  were  equally  unskilled  in  the  arts 
of  constructing,  besieging  or  defending  regular 
fortifications.  They  trusted  more  to  their  num- 
bers than  to  their  courage,  more  to  their  courage 
than  to  their  discipline.  The  infantry  was  a  half 
armed,  spiritless  crowd  of  peasants,  levied  in  haste 
by  the  allurements  of  plunder,  and  as  easily  dis- 
persed by  a  victory  as  by  a  defeat.  The  monarch 
and  his  nobles  transported  into  the  camp  the  pride 
and  luxury  of  the  seraglio.  Their  military  opera- 
tions were  impeded  by  a  useless  train  of  women, 
eunuchs,  horses  and  camels,  and  in  the  midst  of  a 
successful  campaign,  the  Persian  host  was  often 
separated  or  destroyed  by  an  unexpected  famine. 
But  the  nobles  of  Persia,  in  the  bosom  of  luxury 
and  despotism,  preserved  a  strong  sense  of  per- 
sonal gallantry  and  national  honor. ' ' 

The  area  of  the  present  kingdom  is  648,000 
square  miles.  It  lies  between  23°  and  40"*  north 
latitude.  It  is  di^dded  into  the  provinces  of  Azer- 
byjan,  Ghilan,  Mazandaran,  Irak- A  jam,  Khor- 
asan,  Kerman,  Laristan,  Farsistan,  Kuzistan,  Lur- 
istan  and  Ardelan.  Azerbyjan  lies  in  the  extreme 
Northwest,  and  in  that  province  was  my  home. 
Situated  in  the  temperate  zone  it  has  the  climate 
of  that  zone.  The  changes  are  gradual  from  in- 
tense, dry,  burning  heat  in  the  middle  of  summer 
to  severe  cold  in  winter,  and  vice  versa.  As  it  is 
a  very  mountainous  country  there  may  be  all  the 


38  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

different  degrees  of  temperature  at  the  same  time 
in  different  parts  of  the  province  and  at  different 
elevations.  So  one  may  pass  from  the  intense 
heat  of  summer  on  plain  or  valley  to  never  melting 
snow  and  winter  cold  on  mountain  top.  There  are 
parts  of  Persia  where  there  are  the  intensely  hot 
summers  with  a  plentiful  rainfall,  where  the 
orange  tree  grows  and  roses  are  abundant,  but 
the  greater  part  of  the  land  consists  of  dry  barren 
plains  and  treeless  mountains  where  there  is  no 
rain  all  summer,  and  all  the  country  is  parched 
and  desert-like.  In  the  bowels  of  the  earth  there 
is  water,  and  the  people  have  learned  to  bring  this 
water  to  the  surafce  by  a  series  of  wells  called 
connaughts.  They  begin  on  the  slopes  of  the  high 
hills,  digging  first  a  well  until  water  is  reached, 
then  a  few  rods  lower  down  another  with  an  under- 
ground aqueduct  connecting  the  two  wells,  and  so 
on  until  the  water  from  the  mountain  depth  is 
brought  to  the  surface  in  a  beautiful,  clear,  cool, 
fresh  water  spring.  Thence  it  is  carried  by  chan- 
nels and  distributed  over  the  country,  and  by  its 
life-giving  power  transforms  the  dry  land  into 
fields,  gardens,  orchards  and  vineyards,  making 
mother  earth,  wherever  it  touches  her,  beautifully 
green  and  productive,  a  vivid  illustration  of 
Psalms  1-2,  where  we  read  of  the  *' trees  planted 
by  the  rivers  of  water.''  Unfortunately,  owing  to 
lack  of  enterprise,  the  supply  of  water  is  insuffi- 
cient to  meet  the  demands  of  the  population.  So 
it  is  dealt  out  sparingly,  and  there  are  many  fights 
over  the  water  courses,  and  the  strongest  man  gets 
the  water. 


AZERBYJAN  39 

The  products  of  Azerbyjan  are  such  as  would 
be  expected  to  be  found  in  such  a  climate.  Bar- 
ley is  abundant  and  takes  the  place  of  oats,  which 
are  not  found.  Very  little  maize  grows,  but  there 
is  an  abundance  of  wheat,  rice  and  other  grains. 
There  are  the  fruits,  flowers  and  vegetables  of  the 
temperate  zone.  Honey  is  plentiful.  Of  vegeta- 
bles there  are  onions,  beets,  carrots,  radishes,  tur- 
nips, spinage,  cucumbers,  potatoes,  tomatoes,  peas, 
beans,  cabbages,  lettuce,  squash  and  all  kinds  of 
herbs.  Cotton  is  raised.  The  vineyards  produce 
a  great  variety  and  great  abundance  of  most  lus- 
cious grapes.  Several  varieties  of  them  are  hung 
in  dry  storerooms  in  autumn  for  winter  use,  and 
they  keep  all  winter,  so  we  may  be  eating  grapes 
from  August  to  spring.  Kaisins,  molasses,  vine- 
gar and  wine  are  made  from  the  grapes,  and  from 
raisins,  alcohol.  Other  fruits  of  this  province  are 
plums,  apricots,  cherries,  peaches,  pears,  nectar- 
ines, apples,  quinces,  melons,  the  mulberry  (black 
and  white),  barberry,  blackberry,  cornel.  Of  nuts 
we  find  almonds,  English  walnuts,  chestnuts,  fil- 
berts, pistachio  and  others.  Dates,  figs  and  other 
dried  fruits,  spices  of  all  kinds  from  Arabia  and 
the  South  are  found  in  the  markets.  The  silk 
worm  is  raised,  fed  on  the  mulberry  leaf,  and  one 
of  the  industries  of  the  country  is  spinning  the 
silk  and  making  it  into  thread  and  cloth.  The 
domestic  animals  are  the  horse,  cow,  sheep  (with 
big  tails),  goat,  buffalo,  camel,  mule,  donkey,  dog, 
cat.  On  the  mountains  are  found  the  mountain 
goat,  the  deer,  wolf,  bear,  fox,  snake,  hare  and 
other  wild  animals.     Bugs  and  insects  of  all  kinds 


40  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

abound  everywhere.  We  find  the  domestic  fowl 
and  many  birds,  some  with  plain  plumage  and 
some  beautifully  colored.  In  the  rivers  there  are 
some  fish.     Alfalfa  is  the  hay. 

English  enterprise  has  built  a  telegraph  line 
from  London  to  Calcutta,  and  it  passes  through 
Azerbyjan.  The  tall,  straight  iron  poles,  set  in 
perfect  lines  and  perfect  angles,  are  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  crooked,  irregularly  set  wooden 
poles  of  the  telegraph  line  built  by  the  Persians 
within  the  last  twenty-five  years.  As  well  are  they 
advance  lines  of  civilization,  pleasant  company  for 
the  lonely  traveler,  and  a  prophecy  of  what  may 
be  in  the  future.  The  fuel  used  everywhere  by  the 
natives  in  their  cylindrical  ovens  in  the  ground 
floors,  where  bread  is  baked  and  cooking  done, 
and  around  which  they  sit  to  warm  themselves  in 
winter,  is  dried  manure  from  the  stables.  The 
wood  of  fruit  trees  and  other  trees,  as  well  as 
roots  and  branches  from  the  grape  vine,  furnish 
fuel  for  the  foreigner,  and  also  is  used  by  some 
of  the  wealthier  natives.  In  winter  the  entire 
face  of  the  country  is  covered  with  snow  and  in 
spring  and  autumn  there  are  rains.  Often  in 
springtime  the  rains,  mingling  with  the  melting 
snows,  come  down  through  the  valleys  in  such 
floods  as  to  carry  away  houses  and  destroy  much 
property.  In  the  summer  time  many  of  the  rivers 
dry  up  and  disappear.  ^'What  time  they  wax 
warm,  they  vanish:  when  it  is  hot,  they  are  con- 
sumed out  of  their  place. ' ' — Job  6 :17.  Many  of  the 
rivers  have  treacherous  bottoms.  Often  had  I 
ridden  across  the  Lalan  river  in  the  dry  season  and 


1 .  Rose  tree  at  Girls'  School,  Tabriz,  planted  by  Miss  Jewett  in  1 886. 
School  building  in  the  rear. 

2.  Two  ladies  on  a  journey,  attended  by  Persian  men,  one  of  the  ladies 
in  the  takhtrawan. 


AZERBYJAN  41 

had  never  seen  water  there,  but  one  spring  day  as 
I  passed  that  way  the  river  was  full  of  water  and 
the  bottom  slippery.  My  horse  slipped  and  fell 
and  I  sat  in  the  water. 

There  are  no  farm  houses  or  school  houses 
dotting  the  country  here  and  there  as  in  our  own 
free  America.  This  is  on  account  of  the  shiftless 
government  and  the  unsettled  state  of  the  coun- 
try, rendering  it  unsafe  for  a  family  to  live  alone. 
The  inhabitants  are  grouped  together  in  villages 
and  towns  in  the  valleys,  all  over  the  plains  and 
far  up  on  the  slopes  of  the  mountains.  These  vil- 
lages are  collections  of  low  adobe  houses  with  a 
hole  in  the  flat  roof  for  chimney,  a  hole  in  the  wall 
for  window  and  a  hole  in  the  ground  for  stove. 
On  the  mountain  slopes  the  roof  of  one  house  often 
makes  the  yard  of  another,  and  all  over  some  of 
the  villages  one  may  go,  walking  on  the  roofs.  In 
most  villages  there  are  some  houses  with  upper 
room,  in  which  are  glass  windows,  or  in  lieu  of 
glass,  oiled  paper.  Also  there  may  be  found  a 
fire-place  in  one  end  of  the  room,  and  the  floor  cov- 
ered with  Persian  rugs.  In  the  larger  towns  there 
are  many  of  these  better  houses  and  in  the  cities 
there  are  many  fine  buildings,  comparatively 
speaking.  In  some  large  towns  they  are  trying 
to  ape  European  customs  and  have  hotels  with 
furnished  rooms.  I  was  much  amused  once  when 
on  a  journey  I  spent  a  night  in  one  of  these  hotels 
in  Kazvin.  My  room  was  furnished  with  table 
and  chairs.  On  the  table  were  pen,  ink  and  paper 
provided  for  the  use  of  the  guest.  There  was  a 
single  bedstead  with  mattress  and  bedding  and  a 


42  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

nightcap,  and  with  the  toilet  articles  was  also 
provided  a  tooth-brush.  There  are  no  railroads  in 
Persia,  unless  six  miles  at  the  capital  city  may  be 
called  a  railroad.  And  there  are  very  few  car- 
riage roads.  All  traveling  and  all  transportation 
is  by  caravan,  with  horses,  mules,  donkeys  or 
camels.  The  halting  places  for  the  night  are  at 
caravansaries  in  empty  unfurnished  rooms,  so 
beds,  bedding,  all  articles  of  comfort  and  most 
articles  of  necessity  must  be  carried  by  the  trav- 
eler. He  will  find  no  lack  of  entertainment,  how- 
ever, for  the  Persians  are  hospitable  and  ever 
ready  to  entertain  the  stranger. 

Tabriz  is  the  capital  of  Azerbyjan  and  is  the 
metropolis  of  Persia.  It  is  situated  in  latitude  38° 
5'  10"  and  longitude  47°  17'  46"  E.  Its  altitude  is 
4944  feet  above  sea  level.  It  is  surrounded  on 
three  sides  by  high  and  barren  hills.  These  hills 
—  red,  yellow  and  brown  —  are  rich  in  their 
wealth  of  minerals,  but  undeveloped  on  account 
of  lack  of  enterprise  in  government  and  people. 
The  plain,  on  the  fourth  side,  reaches  out  to  Lake 
Urumia  and  is  dotted  over  with  villages  and  green 
with  fields,  gardens  and  vineyards.  Tabriz  means 
fever-scatterer.  Tradition  tells  us  that  a  long 
time  ago  a  certain  great  man  was  traveling  with 
his  family.  On  the  way  his  wife  was  taken  ill 
with  a  fever.  Stopping  for  awhile  at  this  place, 
the  salubrious  air  soon  scattered  the  fever,  hence 
the  name.  The  air  of  Tabriz  is  certainly  delight- 
ful —  dry,  clear  and  cold  in  winter,  and  only  for 
a  short  time  uncomfortably  hot  in  summer.  There 
is  almost  always  a  pleasant  breeze,  which  blowing 
down  from  the  mountains  or  up  from  the  lake  is  ac- 


AZERBYJAN  43 

ceptable  and  invigorating  and  carries  away  bad 
air  and  sickness. 

Tabriz  is  a  very  ancient  city.  It  has  wit- 
nessed many  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  at  times  very 
prosperous  and  again  overwhelmed  with  earth- 
quake, war  or  pestilence.  It  was  formerly  sur- 
rounded by  a  moat  and  a  high  wall.  There  were 
seven  gates  which  were  kept  locked  at  night.  Now 
the  city  has  outgrown  its  former  limits,  its  sub- 
urbs and  gardens  occupying  a  space  of  more  than 
sixteen  miles  in  circumference,  and  the  wall  is  so 
crumbled  and  the  moat  so  filled  that  scarcely  a 
trace  of  either  may  be  found.  Because  of  the 
great  altitude  of  Tabriz  water  is  very  deep  below 
the  surface,  some  wells  being  ninety  feet  deep. 
The  houses  are  built  with  basements  and  founda- 
tions lower  than  the  street  of  sun-dried  bricks 
made  of  the  earth  excavated  right  on  the  spot. 
They  are  low  one  or  two-story  structures  with  flat 
roofs.  The  better  houses  are  faced  with  burned 
brick,  thus  having  the  appearance  of  solid  brick 
houses.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  crooked, 
eight  or  ten  feet  wide,  a  few  wider  and  many  nar- 
rower. Walls  arise  on  both  sides  of  the  streets 
to  the  height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  with  openings 
through  strong  wooden  doors  into  the  yards,  so 
that  every  house  and  yard  is  completely  shut  off 
from  outside  and  is  a  little  world  in  itself.  Tabriz 
is  cleaner  than  most  Eastern  cities  and  has  many 
fine  buildings.  Many  trees  have  been  set  out, 
giving  shade  and  a  pleasant,  forest-like  appear- 
ance as  one  looks  over  the  city  from  the  roof  of 
some  building  higher  than  the  others.  The 
bazaars  are  long,  narrow,  close  and  uncomfortable, 


44  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

thronged  with  men,  veiled  women,  horses,  mules, 
camels  and  donkeys.  The  display  of  all  kinds  of 
produce,  industry  and  merchandise  is  very  fine 
and  very  abundant. 

The  population  of  Tabriz  is  supposed  to  be 
about  200,000,  of  whom  3,000  or  more  are  Ar- 
menian. There  are  a  few  foreign  merchants,  tele- 
graph operators  and  the  Consuls  of  different  Euro- 
pean nations  and  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
There  are  said  to  be  3,800  shops  in  the  bazaars, 
250  caravansaries,  100  schools,  210  mosques  and 
2,000  turbaned  men.  There  is  an  extensive  rug 
factory  where  most  beautiful  Persian  rugs  are 
made,  fifteen  hundred  boys  being  employed  in 
weaving  them.  Three  objects  of  special  interest 
to  visitors  are  the  Blue  Mosque,  the  Citadel,  and 
the  Prince's  Palace.  The  Blue  Mosque  was  built 
several  hundred  years  ago  and  faced  with  blue 
tiles.  It  is  now  a  crumbling  ruin.  The  founda- 
tion walls  of  its  inner  apartment  are  inlaid  with 
the  beautiful  Persian  marble,  resembling  ala- 
baster. The  Citadel,  or  Armory,  is  high  and  con- 
spicuous. It  is  the  first  object  to  be  seen  on  ap- 
proaching the  city.  It  is  built  very  solidly  of 
burned  brick.  There  the  guns,  ammunition  and 
cannon  are  kept.  It  has  been  a  fine  building  but 
now  it  has  an  old  look  and  its  walls  are  cracked 
in  many  places  by  earthquakes.  The  Prince's 
Palace  is  the  summer  residence  of  the  Heir  Ap- 
parent, who  is  Governor  of  Tabriz  until  called  to 
the  throne.  This  palace  stands  in  the  midst  of 
extensive  gardens,  and  from  its  cupola  one  may 
have  a  fine  view  of  the  city  and  country. 


IV 

HOW   WE   LIVE   IN    PERSIA 

It  is  interesting  in  this  strange  land  to  study 
customs  and  learn  how  the  people  live.  We  find 
things  funny,  things  sad,  things  odd,  things  old. 
So  different  are  manners  and  customs,  conditions 
of  thought  and  living,  and  circumstances  of  life 
there  from  what  they  are  in  America,  that  I 
despair  of  clearly  describing  the  one  country  to 
dwellers  in  the  other.  My  sympathies  are  with 
the  woman  to  whom  I  was  trying  to  explain  the 
changes  of  day  and  night.  In  amazement  she  ex- 
claimed ^^What  strange  people  they  must  be  over 
there  to  have  night  while  we  have  day.''  In  my 
first  days  in  that  land  I  saw  so  many  things  so 
queer,  so  funny,  so  laughable,  that  the  natives 
dubbed  me  the  ^^ laughing  lady."  Living  among 
these  things  helps  one  to  understand  many  things 
mentioned  in  the  Bible,  for  it  is  written  that  the 
^4aw  of  the  Medes  and  Persians  altereth  not.'' 
So  it  is  that  we  wonder  at  the  changes  that  are 
taking  place  in  these  latter  days.  It  is  the  cus- 
tom now,  as  in  Bible  times,  to  send  a  messenger 
before  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  King  or  any 
important  person.  This  makes  it  easy  to  under- 
stand Mark  1:2:  ^^  Behold  I  send  my  messenger 
before  thy  face,  which  shall  prepare  thy  way  be- 
fore thee."     There  are  the  dwellers  in  tents  now 


46  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

as  then,  and  when  we  pass  them  we  think  of  the 
patriarch  Abraham  as  he  ^  ^  sat  in  the  tent  door  in 
the  heat  of  the  day.'^  Scenes  like  that  of  Abra- 
ham buying  a  ^^ possession  of  a  burying  place"  for 
his  dead  are  enacted  every  day  in  Persia,  when 
men  in  buying  and  selling  are  bartering  over 
prices.  In  the  fierce  chiefs  of  the  wild  Kurdish 
tribes,  armed  to  the  teeth  and  carrying  long  spears, 
we  see  David  and  his  band  of  warriors  when  pur- 
sued by  King  Saul,  and  we  think  of  the  ancient 
^^ kings  of  the  nations"  making  war  one  with  an- 
other. The  salutations  of  the  East  are  lengthy, 
so  as  the  business  of  Elisha  required  haste,  he  bade 
his  servant  salute  no  one  by  the  way.  The  par- 
able of  the  sower  is  beautifully  illustrated  as  we 
watch  the  sower  going  forth  to  sow.  Scattering 
the  seed  by  hand,  some  seed  falls  by  the  wayside, 
some  on  stony  ground,  some  among  thorns  and 
some  into  good  ground.  The  threshing  floor  is 
the  same  now  as  then,  the  grain  being  heaped 
on  threshing  floor  and  trodden  out  by  oxen,  then 
tossed  up  by  a  wooden  fork  and  the  ^'wind  driveth 
the  chaff  away."  Implements  used  in  farming 
are  crude  and  old  fashioned,  as  in  the  times  of 
Moses  and  Elijah.  The  plow  is  a  long  stick  sharp- 
ened and  covered  with  iron  at  one  end,  fixed  with 
a  handle  at  the  other  and  drawn  by  from  two  to 
eight  or  ten  oxen  or  buffaloes,  a  man  holding  the 
handle  and  a  boy  sitting  on  the  yoke  of  the  first 
pair,  whip  in  hand  and  riding  backward.  Wheat 
is  ground  into  flour  by  being  crushed  between  two 
heavy  round  stones  turned  by  water  power.  The 
house  of  mourning,  with  hired  mourners  and  the 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  47 

wailing  for  the  dead  are  the  same.  Now  as  then, 
hypocrites  pray  in  the  market  places  and  on  the 
street  corners  to  be  seen  of  men.  There  are  sim- 
ilar multitudes  of  blind,  lame,  halt,  sick,  palsied, 
lunatic  and  those  taken  with  divers  diseases,  wait- 
ing to  be  healed.  The  women  grinding  at  the  mill, 
the  leaven,  the  ceremonial  purification,  the  flocks 
and  herds,  the  sheep  and  goats,  the  ''cattle  upon 
a  thousand  hills,"  all  the  same. 

Other  strange  customs  are  there  in  that  ''top- 
sy  turvy  land."  The  floors  being  of  earth,  it  is 
necessary  to  cover  them  with  matting  and  rugs. 
As  a  Persian  does  not  consider  it  polite  or  cleanly 
to  step  on  the  rugs  with  the  shoes  he  has  worn  in 
street  or  yard,  he  leaves  his  shoes  at  the  door, 
but  does  not  take  off  his  hat.  It  is  better  that 
he  does  not  because  his  head  is  shaven.  Every- 
body sits  on  the  floor,  there  being  no  chairs,  and 
all  rise  when  a  guest  or  a  person  older  or  superior 
enters.  The  rooms  are  so  arranged  that  there  is 
a  higher  and  a  lower  place,  those  older  or  super- 
ior in  rank  taking  the  higher,  and  the  younger 
and  inferior  in  rank  the  lower  place,  Extrava- 
gant are  the  greetings  and  expressions  of  welcome. 
' '  Peace  be  unto  you.  Your  coming  is  pleasant  — 
You  come  on  my  head  —  You  come  on  my  eyes  — 
My  house  is  yours  —  My  sons  are  your  servants  — 
My  daughters  are  your  handmaidens  —  All  I  have 
is  yours."  Introductions  follow  after  all  are  seat- 
ed, with  polite  bows  from  everybody  to  every- 
body. On  the  floor  beds  are  spread  at  night.  In 
day  time  the  bedding  is  wrapped  in  large  checked 
cotton  sheets,  and  either  leaned  against  the  wall 


48  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

or  stacked  on  a  frame  made  for  that  purpose. 
Mattresses  are  made  of  wool  or  cotton.  They  are 
short,  and  a  large  round  pillow  filled  with  wool 
or  cotton  is  laid  on  the  floor  at  the  end  of  the 
mattress,  on  the  top  of  this  a  large  feather  pillow, 
and  over  all  a  heavy  quilt.  The  poor  have  no 
sheets,  and  beds  and  bedding  are  washed  once  a 
year.  Some  of  the  wealthy  use  sheets.  The  floor 
serves  as  table  at  meal  time.  All  eat  with  fingers 
from  a  common  dish,  men  first,  women  afterwards. 
It  is  evident  that  it  is  necessary  to  wash  the  hands 
before  and  after  eating.  The  giving  and  sending 
of  portions  is  a  token  of  respect  and  love,  as 
Joseph  to  Benjamin  in  Egypt.  We  learn  not  to 
be  shocked  when  the  host  or  hostess  tears  a  choice 
bit  from  the  chicken  and  presents  it  to  us  with 
fingers.  It  is  not  good  manners  to  talk  while  eat- 
ing. The  smoking  of  tobacco,  either  with  the  com- 
mon pipe  or  the  caleon  (water  pipe)  is  universal, 
by  women  as  well  as  men.  Cigars  and  cigarettes 
have  become  common.  In  some  parts  opium  is 
smoked.  I  have  seen  mothers  breathe  opium 
smoke  into  the  ears  and  nostrils  of  their  babes. 
Tea  and  coffee  have  been  introduced  in  later  years 
and  now  the  tea  urn  or  samovar  is  in  requisition 
in  every  house,  poor  as  well  as  rich.  Meeting  any 
one  by  the  way  it  is  proper  to  turn  to  the  left  in- 
stead of  to  the  right.  Persian  books  begin  at  the 
end  and  are  read  from  right  to  left.  In  knitting 
stockings  they  begin  at  the  toe.  The  carpenter 
sits  on  the  floor  when  using  saw  or  plane.  Water 
is  carried  on  the  shoulder  in  jugs  or  in  skins.  In 
the  villages  it  is  customary  for  the  maidens  to 


1 .  Buffalo  team  drawing  load  of  hay. 

2,  Village  Moslem  women  returning  from  the  harvest  field. 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  49 

bring  the  water,  reminding  us  of  the  stories  of  Re- 
becca, Rachel  and  the  seven  daughters  of  the  priest 
of  Midian.  Moslem  women  keep  their  heads  cov- 
ered and  are  careful  to  veil  their  faces  if  a  man 
appears,  but  they  go  barefooted.  They  are  much 
exercised  over  our  custom  of  having  our  feet  well 
shod  and  our  heads  uncovered.  Often  would  they 
ask  me,  *' Doesn't  your  head  get  coldT'  I  would 
laughingly  reply  ^^ Don't  your  feet  get  coldT' 
One  day  in  a  village  a  poor,  ragged,  dirty,  bare- 
footed beggar  girl,  with  a  rag  tied  on  her  head, 
stood  gazing  on  me  with  wide  open  eyes.  Pres- 
ently she  broke  out  with  the  remark,  '  ^  Cover  your 
head,''  and  ran  away.  When  according  to  our 
custom,  in  going  out  of  the  house  I  would  put 
on  my  hat,  they  would  exclaim,  ^'She  wears  a 
basket  on  her  head."  When  riding  my  side 
saddle  I  have  often  heard  them  saying  to  one  an- 
other, ^  ^  See,  she  has  only  one  foot. ' '  They  always 
ride  astride.  The  mother  or  an  older  sister  car- 
ries the  baby  on  her  back.  At  a  village  a  woman 
prepared  for  me  a  meal,  her  baby  bound  on  her 
back,  its  little  head  bobbing  this  way  and  that.  It 
is  proper  to  ask  any  one  you  meet  by  the  way, 
^  ^  Where  are  you  going  ? ' '  And  Persians  are  very 
accommodating  in  giving  directions  to  a  stranger. 
Persians  are  very  superstitious,  fearing  the 
evil  eye  and  patronizing  the  sorcerer.  If  start- 
ing on  a  journey  or  to  make  a  visit  or  begin  any 
work,  he  consults  the  stars  and  omens.  If  he 
sneezes  once,  it  is  an  unfavorable  omen  and  he 
waits  awhile.  If  he  sneezes  twice  or  more  times 
it  is  good  and  he  goes  ahead.     Some  ladies  came 


50  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

to  call.  They  came  an  hour  late  because  just  as 
they  were  starting  some  one  sneezed  once.  That 
meant  "wait  awhile. '^  A  mother  brought  her 
daughter  to  the  physician.  After  receiving  in- 
structions as  to  medicines,  etc.,  some  one  sneezed 
once.  She  got  up,  left  the  medicines  and  went 
away  crying.  A  father  fears  a  complimentary 
word  about  his  child.  He  puts  a  bone  of  an  ani- 
mal —  say  of  a  horse  or  a  donkey  —  in  the  wall  of 
a  new  house,  has  a  sentence  from  the  Koran  writ- 
ten on  a  piece  of  board  and  hung  over  the  door  or 
on  a  tree  for  good  luck.  Thirteen  is  an  unlucky 
number  which  in  counting  he  skips.  Many  a 
mother  will  not  allow  her  children  to  be  counted, 
and  if  asked  how  many  children  she  has  will  say 
she  does  not  know,  fearing  they  may  become  one 
less.  Sometimes  boys  are  dressed  in  girls'  clothes 
and  called  by  girls'  names  and  vice  versa,  hoping 
thereby  to  cheat  the  angel  of  death.  A  dear  little 
girl  was  named  Ezekiel  —  and  she  lived.  Wlien 
she  attended  our  Mission  School  for  girls  her  name 
was  changed  to  Estelle.  A  mother  makes  a  vow 
over  her  boy  that  if  he  lives  his  hair  shall  not  be 
cut  for  a  certain  number  of  years.  Then  after 
he  has  reached  the  age  of  her  vow  she  takes  him 
to  a  holy  shrine,  offers  a  sacrifice  and  cuts  his 
hair.  There  are  prayers  and  incantations  to  ex- 
orcise the  evil  spirit  and  striking  with  the  needle 
to  kill  him.  Charms  are  worn  on  head  or  arm  or 
about  the  neck  to  protect  from  the  evil  eye ;  such 
as  a  small  copy  or  portions  of  the  Koran  —  a 
double  almond  —  the  tusk  of  some  wild  animal  — 
certain  precious  stones  having  efficacious  power  — 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  51 

written  prayers  —  clippings  of  the  nails  or  a  lock 
of  hair  of  some  saint  or  of  some  one  who  has  made 
the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  and  other  like  things  are 
sewed  in  a  tiny  pouch  and  worn  to  frighten  away 
evil  spirits,  protect  from  the  evil  eye,  ward  off 
disease  and  bring  blessings  of  various  kinds. 
Sometimes  the  charm  is  a  silver  hand,  or  thin 
plates  of  silver  cut  in  ornamental  shapes  with 
verses  from  the  Koran  engraved  on  them,  or  a 
silver  coil  worn  around  the  neck.  An  eclipse  al- 
ways brings  fear  and  presages  dire  calamities. 
Occasionally  in  some  barren  part  where  there  is  no 
water  and  little  rain,  and  the  soil  produces  only 
thorn  bushes  and  stones,  a  lone  tree  stands  green 
and  flourishing,  doubtless  drinking  from  some  un- 
derground stream  which  the  roots  reach.  The  ig- 
norant people  think  that  a  good  spirit  dwelling  in 
that  tree  keeps  it  green,  and  their  reverence  for  it 
amounts  to  worship.  In  passing  the  tree  they  will 
tear  a  piece  from  their  clothing  and  tie  it  on  a 
branch  with  a  prayer,  hoping  thus  to  leave  their 
sorrows  or  get  a  blessing.  I  have  seen  such  trees 
covered  all  over  with  such  rags.  No  one  will  dare 
break  off  a  branch  for  by  so  doing  he  would  show 
disrespect  to  the  good  spirit  and  would  be  in  dan- 
ger of  contracting  some  disease  or  inheriting  some 
distress  left  there.  In  an  Armenian  village  north 
of  Tabriz  there  is  a  large,  fragrant  and  beautiful 
bush  like  a  sweet  scented  brier.  It  is  not  near  a 
stream  and  is  only  watered  by  the  infrequent 
rains.  It  is  considered  holy  and  is  covered  with 
these  sacrificial  rags,  and  no  one  is  allowed  to 
touch   it   except   with   reverence.     ^' Under   such 


•52  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

superstitions  men  pass  their  days  in  bondage 
through  fear/'  A  Moslem  will  never  show  dis- 
respect to  a  holy  book.  One  day  some  American 
ladies  were  entertaining  a  company  of  Moslem 
ladies.  Politely  the  rocking  chair  was  offered. 
They  did  not  know  how  to  sit  on  it,  so  one  sitting 
too  much  on  the  edge  the  chair  tipped  forward, 
another  sitting  too  far  backward  the  chair  tipped 
backward.  They  were  frightened  and  went  away 
to  tell  that  we  had  a  machine  for  making  chris- 
tians. At  another  time  it  was  near  the  hour  for 
sending  letters  to  the  postoffice  when  some  women 
came  to  visit.  One  lady  entertained  them  while 
the  other  finished  her  letters  for  the  mail.  They 
thought  we  were  sending  to  America  a  list  of  their 
names  as  converts. 

Punishments  in  Persia  are  cruel  and  brutal; 
as,  for  instance,  cutting  off  ears  or  hands  —  put- 
ting out  eyes  —  whipping  —  the  bastinado  —  bury- 
ing alive  —  stabbing  —  shooting  —  blowing  from 
mouth  of  cannon.  Parents  punish  their  children 
in  anger,  beating  and  reviling  them.  Woman  is 
degraded  and  the  bride  is  a  slave.  There  are  few 
schools  and  those  not  of  a  high  order.  Eeading 
and  writing  are  looked  upon  as  a  trade,  to  be  en- 
gaged in  by  some,  not  by  all.  It  is  sometimes 
quite  inconvenient  not  to  be  able  to  read  one's  own 
letters.  A  woman  received  a  letter  from  her  ab- 
sent husband.  She  brought  it  to  me  to  read. 
"When  she  answered  it  she  must  go  to  a  scribe  and 
pay  him  to  write  her  letter.  At  the  other  end  of 
the  line  the  husband  must  go  through  the  same 
process  of  getting  his  letter  read  and  answered. 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  53 

Not  much  privacy  and  not  many  letters  written. 
It  often  happens  that  husband,  brother  or  son  die 
away  from  home,  and  for  two  or  more  years  his 
family  do  not  know  it.  If  perchance  others  know 
it,  the  dislike  of  giving  bad  news  prevents  them 
from  telling  it.  Trades  and  occupations  are  mer- 
chant, tailor,  mason,  carpenter,  broker,  butcher, 
grocer,  jeweler,  peddler,  priest,  teacher,  rug  weav- 
er, cloth  weaver,  maker  of  embroidery,  soldiers, 
robbers,  thieves,  highwaymen,  beggars,  etc.,  all 
struggling,  striving,  grasping  for  money.  Very  lit- 
tle money  is  in  the  hands  of  the  common  people. 
The  rich  are  overbearing,  robbing  the  poor  that 
they  themselves  may  live  in  luxury.  The  children 
are  naturally  beautiful,  with  bright  black  eyes  and 
rosy  cheeks.  More  than  half  of  them  die  in  infan- 
cy. Of  those  who  live  most  of  the  boys  become 
tierce,  coarse,  forbidding  men,  and  of  the  girls  ugly 
old  women.  History  tells  us  that  the  youths  of  the 
ancient  Persians  were  taught  to  speak  the  truth,  to 
shoot  with  the  bow  and  arrow  and  to  ride,  and  that 
in  the  last  two  of  these  arts  they  made  more  than 
common  proficiency.  They  are  still  fine  riders  on 
fine  horses,  but  the  bow  and  arrow  have  given  place 
to  the  gun,  sword,  pistol  and  dagger.  Truth  is 
lost,  trampled  in  the  dust,  for  ''truth  is  fallen  in 
the  street,  and  equity  cannot  enter. ' '  Lying,  steal- 
ing, swearing,  quarreling,  blasphemy,  and  all  the 
long  catalogue  of  sins  are  universal.  They  are 
very  artful  and  very  successful  deceivers.  When 
they  visit  us  in  our  homes  they  put  on  the  garb  of 
decency,  and  so  nicely  is  it  worn  that  we  are  al- 
most persuaded  to  forget  their  true  character  and 


54  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

are  ready  to  believe  that  they  are  really  quite  sin- 
cere, good  people.  When  we  visit  them  in  their 
abodes  they  receive  ns  with  extreme  politeness  and 
in  every  way  make  themselves  so  agreeable  that  we 
can  scarcely  imagine  the  mass  of  moral  filth  that  is 
hidden  behind  the  moral  screen.  There  are  no 
sins  small  or  great  that  are  not  unblushingly  prac- 
ticed by  them.  Even  those  things  that  we  would 
blush  to  even  think  of  are  talked  about  by  them 
openly  and  without  shame.  So  wicked,  so  degrad- 
ed are  they  that  they  seem  not  to  possess  a  realiza- 
tion of  what  is  sinful  and  degraded.  This  is  a 
dark  picture.  A  brighter  picture  shows  us  the 
Persians  as  a  genial,  polite,  hospitable  people, 
kind  and  sympathetic  in  times  of  sickness,  death 
or  trouble  of  any  kind.  They  are  a  complex  peo- 
ple, fair  and  foul  —  good  and  bad  —  all  mixed. 
Their  sins  bring  their  own  punishment.  Hot 
winds,  burning  sun  and  scarcity  of  water  destroy 
the  crops.  Even  when  there  are  good  crops 
grasping  men  hold  them  at  exorbitant  prices. 
Want  and  poverty  dry  up  the  very  bones  of  the 
poor.  Their  flesh  is  gone  and  their  skin  is  shriv- 
eled and  yellow.  They  drown  their  sorrows  in 
tobacco  smoke  and  opium.  The  rich  eat,  drink, 
smoke  and  take  their  ease.  If  we  warn  them  to 
prepare  for  eternity,  they  shrug  their  shoulders 
and  say  ^^God  is  merciful. '^ 

One  of  my  early  trips  was  to  Geog  Tappa,  a 
Nestorian  village  four  miles  from  Urumia.  It 
was  winter  and,  although  we  were  warmly  clad,  it 
was  difficult,  on  a  side  saddle,  to  sufficiently  protect 
one^s  self  from  cold.     We  were  more  than  an  hour 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  55 

on  the  way,  and  when  we  reached  the  place  I  was 
thoroughly  chilled.  We  entered  what  seemed  to 
me  more  like  an  underground  stable  than  like  a 
living  room.  We  were  invited  to  sit  by  the  fire. 
I  looked  for  the  stove  and  was  guided  to  a  hole  in 
the  ground  about  three  feet  in  diameter.  Could 
I  sit  down  by  that?  I  did,  and  hung  my  feet  over 
the  edge.  Soon  I  was  infused  with  a  pleasant 
warmth.  There  the  food  of  the  family  was  cook- 
ing, having  been  prepared  and  put  into  an  earthen 
vessel  and  well  covered.  Slowly  and  steadily  for 
from  six  to  ten  hours  it  would  simmer  and  cook 
and  when  taken  out  would  be  tasty  and  good,  es- 
pecially the  meat,  which  the  Persians  know  well 
how  to  prepare.  On  the  sides  of  this  oven,  or 
tanoor,  the  thin  sheets  of  bread  are  baked.  Over 
it,  in  winter,  is  placed  a  low  square  table,  or  kuri- 
see,  covered  with  a  large  widely  extending  quilt. 
Around  the  kurisee  the  household  sit,  eat  and 
sleep,  on  the  floor.  The  process  of  firing  the 
tanoor  is  anything  but  agreeable,  as  immense  vol- 
umes of  smoke  arise,  and  what  does  not  get  out  the 
hole  in  the  roof  or  wall  stays  inside,  blackening 
ceiling,  walls,  rafters  and  pillar  supports  of  roof. 
Is  it  any  wonder  that  many  of  the  women  who 
build  these  fires  have  sore  eyes  and  headache? 
Well,  while  I  was  sitting  by  the  tanoor  warming, 
gazing  and  wondering,  our  hostess  began  taking 
up  a  meal.  She  reached  down  for  it.  Her  arms 
disappeared  in  the  depths,  her  head  also  and  her 
shoulders.  I  was  lost  in  amazement,  when  pres- 
ently she  emerged  with  pot  in  hand.  She  brought 
a  large  round  copper  waiter  and  arranged  on  it 


56  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

several  thin  sheets  of  bread  with  cheese,  curds, 
herbs,  salt,  pepper  and  buttermilk.  Into  a  large 
bowl  she  poured  some  of  the  hot  stew,  putting  the 
meat  in  a  separate  dish.  It  was  indeed  appetizing. 
We  were  warmed  and  fed  and  ready  for  our  return 
trip.  This  meat  stew  is  the  universal  evening 
meal.  After  eating,  the  beds  are  spread  around 
the  tanoor  and  all  lie  down  to  sleep.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  undress,  more  than  to  take  ofP  two  or 
three  outside  garments.  The  morning  toilet  is 
easy  as  there  is  no  special  dressing  to  do.  Each 
one  pours  for  another  water  on  the  hands  for 
washing.  As  the  caps  and  head-dresses  are  worn 
all  the  time  there  is  no  combing  to  do.  That  is 
done  once  in  eight  to  fifteen  days  at  the  public 
bath.  Brooms  are  made  from  a  kind  of  weed  and 
are  not  more  than  two  feet  long.  Washing  is 
done  either  at  a  stream  where  the  clothes  are  beat- 
en with  a  paddle  on  a  stone,  or  in  the  house  or 
yard  in  a  low  tub,  the  washerwoman  sitting  on  a 
cushion  on  the  ground  while  washing.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  iron  the  clothes.  There  is  little  dish 
washing,  so  few  dishes  having  been  used. 

In  making  a  visit  to  the  house  of  a  friend  we 
knock  at  the  door  in  the  outside  wall  instead  of 
at  the  door  of  the  house.  The  houses  of  the  mis- 
sionaries are  no  exception  to  this  rule.  These 
adobe  houses  do  not  appear  particularly  inviting 
on  the  outside,  but  they  may  be  made  very  pleas- 
ant and  comfortable  inside.  The  homes  of  the 
missionaries  are  furnished  tastefully  while  at  the 
same  time  simply  and  plainly.  Formerly  chairs 
were  imported,  now  native  carpenters  have  learned 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  57 

to  make  chairs,  tables,  cupboards,  desks,  bedsteads, 
many  necessary  things  and  things  ornamental,  and 
many  things  are  imported  by  merchants  from  Eu- 
rope. When  we  go  from  America  we  take  with  us 
many  things  that  are  to  us  indispensable.  We  are 
happy  over  our  belongings  and  eagerly  begin 
housekeeping.  We  proudly  display  our  pretty 
china  and  glassware,  our  shining  cook  stove  and 
utensils  and  kitchen  furniture,  as  well  as  many 
pretty  and  useful  gifts  from  friends.  We  soon 
find  that  we  cannot  do  our  own  housework  if  we 
are  to  do  missionary  work.  So  we  bring  the  na- 
tives into  the  house  and  kitchen.  Then  alas !  brok- 
en china  and  glass  testify  to  their  carelessness, 
tins  become  rusted  and  battered  and  soon  our 
pretty  things  are  old  and  spoiled.  We  would  glad- 
ly do  our  own  work,  but  we  cannot  carry  wood  and 
water,  sweep  with  the  short  brooms,  do  our  own 
washing,  ironing  and  cooking,  with  lessons,  meet- 
ings and  visits  crowding,  more  to  do  for  the  peo- 
ple than  we  can  find  time  or  strength  for.  We 
ladies  cannot  go  on  the  streets  without  an  escort. 
We  cannot  go  to  the  bazaars  alone,  or  do  our  own 
marketing.  If  we  try  to  do  so  we  are  outrageous- 
ly cheated,  for  Moslems  consider  it  legitimate  for 
them  to  cheat  Christians.  And  the  jamming,  hus- 
tling, the  rude  staring  of  rough  men  and  boys,  the 
crowding  of  mules,  horses,  camels  and  donkeys 
would  be  not  only  disagreeable  and  tiring  but 
would  take  time  and  strength  needed  for  mission- 
ary work.  The  butcher,  the  baker,  the  huckster, 
the  grocer,  the  ice  man  and  all  the  servants  of 
civilization  do  not  serve  us  there  as  here.     So  we 


58  '  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

commit  our  buying  to  cook  or  steward,  even  when 
we  know  that  he  will  secretly  charge  a  percentage 
or  commission  on  what  he  buys  —  comforting  our- 
selves with  the  thought  that  he  will  not  cheat  us 
as  badly  as  the  shopkeepers  themselves  would  do. 
Once  I  wanted  a  pen  case.  Some  were  brought  to 
the  house.  I  chose  one  and  asked  the  price.  The 
price  named  was  enormous.  I  jewed  the  man 
down  to  one-seventh,  and  afterwards  learned  that 
I  had  paid  too  much.  If  I  needed  a  new  dress  or 
any  such  thing  from  the  bazaar  I  would  have  the 
bazaar  brought  to  me,  i  e.,  pieces  of  goods  brought 
to  the  house.  I  must  be  careful  not  to  show  by 
word  or  look  that  anything  pleased  me,  for  that 
would  instantly  cause  a  rise  in  price.  The  year's 
supply  of  flour  for  the  missionary's  family  is  gen- 
erally laid  in  in  the  autumn.  This  is  quite  a  pro- 
cess. Samples  of  wheat  are  brought.  After  it  is 
decided  which  kind  to  take  and  the  price  is  agreed 
on  a  man  must  go  for  it.  When  it  arrives  it  must 
be  weighed,  then  it  must  be  washed  and  dried  and 
picked  over  kernel  by  kernel.  Women  do  this. 
They  too  know  how  to  cheat.  Then  it  must  be 
weighed  again  and  put  into  bags  to  be  carried  on 
donkeys  to  mill.  The  man  we  trust  must  go  with 
it  to  watch  that  none  be  stolen  or  an  inferior  kind 
be  substituted.  When  the  flour  is  brought  home 
it  must  be  weighed  again  before  it  is  stored  for 
use. 

We  have  nominally  three  Sabbath  days  — 
Friday,  Moslem  —  Saturday,  Jewish  —  Sunday, 
Christian.  No  one  keeps  the  day  holy.  Many 
Moslems  have  their  shops  open  on  Friday,  will 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  59 

work  on  that  day  as  on  any  other  day,  or  will  take 
that  day  as  a  day  of  recreation  and  pleasure.  Jews 
will  not  buy  and  sell  or  work  on  Saturday,  but  they 
make  it  a  day  of  drunkenness  and  revelry,  and 
they  will  hire  Moslems  on  that  day  to  buy  some- 
thing they  want  from  the  bazaars  and  to  build 
their  fires  for  them.  Armenians  (who  are  nom- 
inal christians)  in  some  districts,  call  Sunday  the 
Bazaar  day,  because  on  that  day  they  do  more 
trading  and  have  the  greatest  bazaar  of  the  week. 
Some  working  women  go  out  for  work  six  days 
and  clean  house  and  do  their  own  housework  on 
the  seventh.  Also  these  nominal  Christians  make 
the  day  one  of  visiting,  feasting  and  amusement. 
It  is  customary  when  a  couple  are  engaged  to 
be  married  to  make  a  great  occasion  of  the  be- 
trothal, with  tea  drinking,  music,  dancing,  feast- 
ing, and  too  often  wine  drinking  and  drunkenness. 
I  was  much  interested  in  the  betrothal  and  mar- 
riage of  my  young  friend  Hosein  (Moslem).  His 
mother  was  a  widow.  Her  three  older  sons  were 
heads  of  families  and  she  was  desirous  that  this, 
her  youngest  boy,  should  take  a  wife  *' before  she 
died. ' '  She  visited  here  and  there  looking  around 
among  the  girls  for  some  one  she  would  like  for 
daughter-in-law.  When  I  inquired  of  the  mother 
the  age  of  her  son  she  replied  that  she  had  him  in 
her  arms  when  bread  was  scarce  the  time  before. 
So  I  calculated  him  to  be  about  twenty-six.  He 
said  to  his  mother,  *'I  cannot  afford  a  wife.  It  is 
all  we  can  do  to  live  now.''  But  she  heeded  not 
and  went  on  with  the  hunt.  One  day  she  saw  a 
pretty  girl  whom  she  admired  and  proceeded  to 


60  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

do  the  courting.  Hosein  had  not  seen  her,  and 
she  had  no  say  about  it,  as  all  arrangements  were 
being  made  by  the  mothers.  Inquiries  were  being 
made  by  each  family  about  the  other,  and  negotia- 
tions were  begun  about  dowry,  outfit,  presents, 
etc.,  when  Hosein  protested,  and  that  marriage 
was  not  arranged.  Another  girl  was  recommend- 
ed, but  she  would  require  a  dowry  of  $200.00, 
which  was  more  than  he  could  afford.  Then  it 
was  discovered  that  there  was  another,  with  whom 
he  had  played  when  they  were  children,  and  though 
they  had  not  seen  each  other  since  she  was  old 
enough  to  put  on  the  veil,  memories  of  childhood 
lingered.  The  mother  visited  the  girl's  mother, 
proposed  and  was  accepted.  Next  followed  the 
formal  betrothal  and  arrangements  about  the  dow- 
ry. This  is  the  sum  of  money  the  man  agrees  to 
pay  the  wife  should  he  divorce  her.  One  day  trays 
on  which  were  arranged  a  mirror,  a  veil,  a  piece 
of  silk,  several  loaves  of  sugar,  heaping  plates 
of  candy  and  some  other  things  were  sent  to  the 
girl's  house,  where  a  company  of  women  were  as- 
sembled drinking  tea,  dancing  and  smoking.  At 
the  same  time  some  men,  including  the  priest,  the 
girl's  brother  and  Hosein 's  substitute  (for  he  was 
ashamed  to  be  there)  were  assembled  in  a  house 
near  by.  The  girl  was  in  the  basement  of  the 
house  where  the  women  were  being  dressed, 
painted  and  ornamented.  She  sat  on  the  floor 
in  front  of  the  closely  curtained  window.  Un- 
der the  window  the  mirror  was  leaned  against 
the  wall.  In  front  of  the  mirror  was  spread  on 
the  floor  an  embroidered  cloth,  and  on  it  were 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  61 

placed  a  Koran,  two  strings  of  prayer  beads  or 
rosaries,  eye  ointment,  comb  and  case,  and  on  a 
waiter  little  plates  of  wheat,  flour,  seeds  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  and  sweets,  emblematic  of  the  wish  that 
her  life  might  be  full  of  goodness,  plenty  and 
sweetness.  Several  women  were  there  with  her. 
Hosein's  mother  put  the  ring  on  her  finger. 
Others  placed  the  veil  and  a  piece  of  silk  on  her 
head.  Two  women  stood  behind  her  rubbing  to- 
gether two  pieces  of  sugar,  collecting  its  fine  dust 
in  a  handkerchief  that  was  spread  on  her  head. 
This  last  was  to  be  kept  and  fed  to  the  bride  and 
groom  at  the  wedding,  that  their  married  life 
might  be  sweet.  The  men  from  the  other  house 
came  into  the  yard  and  stood  on  one  side  while  an 
old  man,  uncle  of  the  girl,  lifted  one  corner  of  the 
curtain  over  the  window  and  called  out  ^^In  the 
name  of  God  and  His  prophet  Mohammed,  do  you 
take  Hosein  to  be  your  husband  ? ' '  This  was  mere 
form.  There  was  no  reply,  for  she  must  be  mod- 
est. Again  he  called  out  the  same  words.  No 
reply.  After  the  third  call  she  replied,  *^Yes," 
but  so  low  as  not  to  be  heard.  Again  he  called 
and  she  replied  loud  enough  to  be  heard,  ^^Yes." 
The  word  was  passed  on  to  the  other  men  and 
they  retired  to  make  out  the  papers.  The  girl 
was  then  escorted  to  the  upper  room.  She  first 
bowed  to  the  mother-in-law  and  received  her  kiss 
and  blessing,  then  to  the  others  and  was  seated. 
In  the  meanwhile  candies  were  being  thrown  on 
the  guests.  After  the  necessary  sewing  and  pre- 
parations were  completed  for  the  wedding  the 
bride  was  escorted  from  her  house  and  given  to  her 


62  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

husband.  One  day  a  girl  saw  from  an  upstairs 
window  a  young  man  coming  into  the  yard  to  see 
her  father  on  business.  She  admired  him  and  said 
to  her  mother,  ' '  You  must  get  that  young  man  for 
me,"  and  she  did.  A  young  man  in  the  street 
passed  an  open  door  where  stood  a  pretty  girl. 
Before  she  could  hide  he  saw  her.  There  was  love 
at  first  sight.  He  went  to  his  mother  about  it  and 
she  secured  the  girl  for  him.  In  a  village  a  young 
woman  saw  a  young  man  from  the  city.  She  loved 
him  but  the  fates  were  against  her  and  she  was 
given  to  another.  A  little  girl  was  promised  by 
her  father  to  a  man  old  and  ugly.  Bitterly  she 
wept  and  pleaded  with  her  parents  not  to  give  her 
to  him,  but  they  were  inexorable  for  the  man  was 
rich.  The  night  of  the  betrothal,  during  the  feast- 
ing and  merry  making,  she  was  curled  up  in  a  cor- 
ner on  the  floor  asleep.  After  a  few  months  the 
priest  performed  the  marriage  ceremony.  She 
was  put  on  a  horse,  completely  covered  with  a  red 
calico  veil  and  carried  to  her  future  abode. 
Strange  to  tell,  customs  of  bethrothal  and  mar- 
riage are  changing  even  in  Persia.  The  first 
wedding  I  attended  in  Persia  was  that  of  a  Nes- 
torian  girl,  who  stood  by  the  wall  enveloped  in  red 
calico  while  the  guests  were  feasting.  Some  years 
afterwards  I  attended  the  wedding  of  her  daugh- 
ter, dressed  in  white  silk  with  white  lace  veil  and 
orange  blossoms  on  her  head.  Baby  John  was  to 
be  named.  The  most  intimate  friends  and  rela- 
tives were  to  be  present,  and  I  was  favored  with 
an  invitation.  After  supper  and  a  short  time 
spent  in  conversation,  the  baby,  all  wrapped  in 


HOW  WE  LIVE  IN  PERSIA  63 

swaddling  clothes,  was  brought  out  from  under 
some  quilts  to  receive  its  name.  It  was  a  wee  bit 
of  humanity,  the  eighth  son  born  to  his  mother, 
and  he  the  only  one  living,  so  he  was  very  precious 
to  his  parents,  who  naturally  desired  that  his  life 
might  be  spared.  Numerous  charms  and  prayers 
were  hung  around  his  neck  and  bound  on  his  arms 
and  body.  The  first  day  of  his  life  he  had  been 
carried  to  the  bazaar  and  mustachios  and  beard 
painted  on  his  little  face,  with  a  prayer  that  he 
might  live  to  be  a  man  and  do  business  in  the 
bazaar.  Faith  was  placed  in  those  things,  and  all 
the  laws  of  health  were  disregarded.  Should  he 
live  they  would  think  it  was  because  of  the  charms. 
If  he  should  die  they  would  say,  ^^It  is  the  will  of 
God."  An  old  woman  took  him  in  her  arms  and 
holding  his  right  ear  near  her  mouth,  she  repeated 
the  Moslem  creed  and  said,  "John,  your  father 
and  mother  have  chosen  this  name  for  you,  so 
now  that  is  what  you  are  to  be  called.  John,  may 
you  be  blessed  and  great  and  live  a  long  life.'' 
Then  another  old  woman  repeated  the  same  in  his 
left  ear.  Then  every  one  in  turn  took  him,  kissed 
him  and  blessed  him.  I  pressed  the  soft  little  face 
to  my  cheek  with  a  prayer  that  he  might  be  kept 
pure  and  innocent  and  if  he  lived  be  a  good 
man.  But  he  died.  After  the  naming  an  oppor- 
tunity was  presented  and  I  was  glad  to  say  a  few 
words  to  them  of  how  Jesus  took  the  little  ones 
in  His  arms  and  blessed  them,  and  how  He  would 
have  us  all  become  like  little  children. 


KELIGIONS 

Of  the  more  than  200,000,000  Moslems  in  the 
world  9,000,000  are  in  Persia  —  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  land  except  some  one  to  two  hundred  thou- 
sand, who  are  either  Jews,  nominal  Christians  or 
Fire  Worshippers.  The  Persians,  once  the  fol- 
lowers of  Zoroaster,  kept  the  eternal  fires  burning 
on  the  mountains.  Since  the  ascendancy  of  Islam 
only  a  remnant  of  them  remains  in  Persia,  said  to 
be  5,000.  Occasionally  a  few  relics  of  their  ancient 
worship  are  found  in  some  deserted  ash  hill. 
Islamism  is  now  the  national  religion  and  it  is 
that  which  has  degraded  the  land  and  keeps  it  in 
a  state  of  darkness  and  ignorance.  This  religion 
began  in  Arabia,  its  founder  and  leader  being 
Mohammed.  He  was  born  in  Mecca,  A.  D.  570, 
belonging  to  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Arab 
tribes,  but  he  was  poor  and  ignorant,  having  never 
learned  to  read  or  write.  He  was  a  camel  driver 
but  became  a  merchant.  ^^  Employed  by  the 
wealthy  widow  Khadijah,  the  chief  lady  of  Mecca, 
as  her  business  agent,  he  so  won  her  gratitude  and 
esteem  that  although  fifteen  years  his  senior  she 
offered  him  her  hand  and  became  his  wife.'^  She 
encouraged  him  in  his  visions  which  he  saw  when 
under  the  influence  of  epileptic  fits.  The  people 
about  him  thought  he  was  being  filled  with  the 


The  azan,  or  call  to  prayer 


RELIGIONS  65 

Spirit  and  was  receiving  revelations,  and  they 
called  him  a  prophet.  From  some  Jews  and 
christians,  then  in  Arabia,  he  learned  a  little  of 
the  christian  religion  and  that  idolatry  is  wrong 
because  there  is  only  one  God.  He  set  out  to  turn 
his  people  from  paganism,  but  he,  himself,  having 
failed  to  learn  the  truth  of  the  Triune  God  so 
dwelt  on  the  oneness  of  God  that  he  did  not  accept 
the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  taught  a  half  truth, 
which  is  the  greatest  lie  of  all.  The  God  of  Mo- 
hammed stands  alone,  '' unknown,"  ^^unknow- 
able," ''unapproachable,"  ''unbegotten  and  unbe- 
getting."  Some  of  the  names  ascribed  to  God  by 
the  Moslems  are  the  Merciful,  the  Gracious,  the 
Holy,  the  Creator,  the  Faithful,  the  Pardoner,  the 
All  Wise,  the  Just,  the  Omniscient,  the  Omni- 
present, the  All  Powerful.  Moslems  reject  the 
divinity  of  Christ,  calling  him  a  good  man  and  a 
prophet  along  with  Adam,  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham 
and  Moses,  and  all  the  124,000  prophets,  of  whom 
the  last  and  greatest  is  Mohammed.  They  say 
that  christians  blaspheme  when  they  speak  of 
Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God.  Their  ''Holy  Book"  is 
the  Koran.  It  is  supposed  to  be  made  up  of  the 
sayings,  teachings  and  revelations  of  Mohammed. 
They  were  not  put  in  book  form  until  after  his 
death,  when  some  of  his  followers  gathered  to- 
gether what  they  remembered  of  his  words.  It  is 
so  holy  as  not  to  be  allowed  to  be  read  or  touched 
by  an  unbeliever,  i.  e.,  one  not  a  Moslem.  But  it 
has  been  translated  into  English  and  into  Persian 
by  English  and  American  scholars. 


66  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

Their  creed  is  '^ Allah  akbar!  la  illaha  ill' Al- 
lah !  Mohammed  rasul  Allah, ' '  which  means  '  ^  God 
is  great.  There  is  no  God  but  God.  Mohammed 
is  his  prophet.''  This  creed  is  cried  from  the 
roofs  of  the  Mosques  three  times  a  day,  at  early 
dawn,  at  noon  and  at  evening  twilight.  Then,  and 
also  in  the  afternoon  and  in  the  night,  making  five 
times  a  day,  every  good  Moslem  is  supposed  to 
perform  his  ablutions  and  say  his  prayers.  The 
ablutions  are  performed  in  a  prescribed  manner, 
and  they  make  much  of  ceremonial  cleanliness. 
The  prayers  are  vain  repetitions  from  the  Koran, 
which  the  Persians  do  not  understand  because  it  is 
in  Arabic.  Of  the  true  nature  of  prayer  they  know 
nothing.  A  relic  of  idolatry  still  remains  in  their 
prayers  as  they  use  rosaries  and  small  cakes  of 
sacred  earth  from  the  tombs  of  ^'holy  men,"  plac- 
ing them  before  them  and  bowing  down  until  the 
forehead  touches  the  sacred  earth.  One  month 
in  the  year  is  a  month  of  fasting,  when  no 
Moslem  is  allowed,  under  penalty  of  death, 
to  taste  a  morsel  of  food  or  drink  a  drop 
of  water  from  early  dawn  to  evening  twi- 
light. They  eat  in  the  night  and  have  the  best 
meals  of  the  year  in  this  month.  It  is  easy  for 
the  rich,  who  sleep  in  the  forenoon  and  spend  the 
afternoon  in  the  mosque,  but  for  the  poor  who 
must  work  to  earn  a  living  it  is  very  difficult.  It 
is  supposed  that  all  keep  this  fast,  laying  up  for 
themselves  merit  in  heaven.  But  many  do  not 
keep  it,  and  so  the  fast  becomes  a  hypocrite  and 
lie  factory,  those  who  do  not  keep  it  professing 
to  do  so.     They  eat  secretly,  behind  closed  doors, 


RELIGIONS  67 

fearing  lest  some  one  seeing  them  eat  should  for 
some  reason  during  the  year  have  a  quarrel  with 
them,  and  to  injure  them  should  report,  ^^I  saw 
so  and  so  eating  in  fast,"  and  thus  be  the  cause 
of  their  death.  There  is  no  confidence  or  trust 
among  them,  and  it  has  come  to  be  in  Persia  that 
the  law,  although  nominally  existing,  is  virtually 
a  dead  letter,  for  who  could  accuse  anybody  when 
everybody  knows  that  everybody  could  accuse 
everybody  ?  Drinking  wine  and  other  intoxicants, 
although  forbidden  by  the  Koran,  is  very  gener- 
ally indulged  in.  There  is  an  immense  amount  of 
gambling.  Greed  of  gain,  a  desire  for  luxurious 
living,  has  taken  possession,  so  what  care  they  for 
prayers,  fasting  and  all  that!  They  are  fatalists. 
Their  almsgiving  is  done  to  be  seen  of  men  and 
to  lay  up  for  themselves  merit  in  heaven,  and  they 
fail  to  realize  any  other  motive  in  any  one  who 
does  an  act  of  charity  or  benevolence.  Every  year 
large  companies  go  on  long,  hard  pilgrimages  to 
their  holy  cities  —  Mecca,  Kerbela  and  Meshed. 
These  caravans  of  pilgrims  are  interesting,  some 
on  camels,  some  on  horses,  some  on  mules,  some 
in  takhtrawans,  some  in  cajavas,  some  on  foot. 
They  suffer  many  hardships.  Many  sicken  and 
die  and  are  buried  by  the  wayside.  As  I  rode 
along  the  pilgrim  road  I  saw  many  newly  made 
graves.  I  saw  a  sick  man  tied  on  his  horse  where 
he  died.  He  was  buried  at  the  first  burial  ground. 
Such  deaths  they  think  win  for  them  high  places 
in  heaven,  no  matter  how  wicked  may  have  been 
their  lives.  The}^  camp  for  the  night  in  some  open 
place  near  some  town,  build  camp  fires,  boil  water, 


68  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

make  tea,  eat  bread  and  lie  down  on  a  quilt  on  the 
ground  with  only  the  canopy  of  the  heavens  above 
them,  and  start  on  the  next  stage  soon  after  mid- 
night.    If  one  can  accomplish  a  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca,  he  or  she  becomes  especially  holy  and  is 
called  Haji,  that  is,  pilgrim.    At  Mecca  there  is  an- 
other remnant  of  idolatry.     It  is  the  worship  of 
the  black  stone  in  the  temple  of  Ca'aba,  ^'brought 
from  heaven  by  the  angels."    It  is  probably  a 
meteor.    These  pilgrimages  are  supposed  to  atone 
for  sin,  but  in  fact  the  pilgrims  become  tenfold 
more  the  children  of  hell  than  before.     One  pil- 
grimage is  good  —  two  better  —  three  make  a  man 
dangerous,  for  he  has  laid  up  so  much  merit  that 
he  can  balance  with  any  amount  of  wickedness. 
Of  these  pilgrimages  Kev.   Samuel  M.  Zwemer 
writes,  ^^They  are  a  public  scandal,  even  to  Mos- 
lem morality,  so  that  the  ^holy  cities'  are  hotbeds 
of  vice  and  plague  spots  in  the  body  politic." 
Moslems  claim  that  God  gave  four  books  to  man, 
viz:  The  Law  and  the  Prophets  —  the  Psalms  — 
the  Gospel  —  and  the  Koran.    The  first  three  were 
good  in  their  time  but  they  have  been  superseded 
by  the  last  and  greatest  —  the  Koran.     They  call 
themselves  Mussulman,  meaning  True  Believers, 
and  christians  they  call  infidels.     Four  wives  are 
legal  to  a  Moslem,  and  as  many  concubines  as  he 
finds  convenient.     Divorce  is  very  common  and 
for  trivial  causes.     Lazy,  selfish,  sensual,  fatalis- 
tic, the  Moslem  passes  his  life  in  the  indulgence  of 
sin,  hoping  by  works  of  merit  to  strike  a  balance 
and  gain  a  place  in  heaven,  where  he  may  continue 
to  exist  in  blissful  indolence,  surrounded  by  black- 


EELIGIONS  69 

eyed  houris.  Many  would  rather  lose  hope  of 
heaven  than  leave  off  their  sins.  A  man  said  to 
me,  when  I  remonstrated  with  him  about  his  sins, 
*'I  would  rather  go  to  hell  than  change  my  life." 
It  is  said  that  ^^one-seventh  of  the  earth ^s  land 
surface  feels  the  blighting  effect  of  the  teaching 
of  the  prophet  of  Arabia,  and  also  one-seventh 
of  the  population  of  the  globe.  No  doubt  in  Islam 
Christianity  finds  its  sturdiest  foe."  Our  Savior 
conquered  by  love  and  His  kingdom  is  a  kingdom 
where  love  and  mercy  reign.  Mohammed  made 
his  conquests  by  war  and  bloodshed.  We  read 
that  the  streets  of  Medina  ran  with  blood  as  he 
with  his  savage  hordes  slew  all  who  would  not 
repeat  the  creed.  It  was  in  this  way  that  Persia 
became  a  Moslem  land.  And  the  Moslems  of  Per- 
sia do  not  now  belong  to  the  orthodox  sect,  but 
are  Sheahs  —  a  great  division  of  Islam.  They 
reject  Omar  as  the  rightful  successor  of  Moham- 
med and  adhere  to  Ali,  his  son-in-law.  They  curse 
Omar  and  keep  the  anniversary  of  his  death  as  a 
day  of  feasting  and  rejoicing.  They  almost  deify 
Ali,  and  celebrate  the  month  of  Moharrem  every 
year  as  a  month  of  mourning  for  the  cruel  deaths 
of  Hassan  and  Hosein  —  sons  of  Ali.  They  again 
are  all  split  up  among  themselves  into  many  differ- 
ent sects.  Although  these  sects  wear  the  outward 
garb  of  Islam,  there  are  thousands  who  secretly 
curse  Mohammed  and  the  Koran.  A  house  di- 
vided against  itself  —  how  can  it  standi 

The  most  evident  of  these  sub-divisions  are 
Babism  and  Ali-Allahism.  Bab  means  door  — 
the  channel  of  grace  from  the  unseen.     This  sect 


70  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

has  arisen  during  the  last  century.  It  claims  to 
be  a  new  revelation  —  has  many  books,  much  writ- 
ing, many  missionaries  and  many  followers.  Their 
leaders  send  letters  into  all  parts  of  the  world, 
propagating  their  religion  and  gaining  adherents. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  speak  the  truth,  but  any 
scheme,  any  invention,  any  deceit  may  be  used  to 
further  their  objects.  Whatever  doctrines  they 
have  that  are  good  they  have  borrowed  from  Chris- 
tianity. They  profess  to  accept  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, but  they  do  not  follow  the  teachings  of 
Christ.  The  influence  of  their  teachings  and  of 
their  lives  is  as  harmful  as  is  that  of  pure  Islam- 
ism.  They  have  no  clear  distinction  between  good 
and  evil,  no  perception  of  sin,  so  they  wander  in 
fog,  and  their  missionaries  have  a  doubtful  repu- 
tation for  morality.  The  founder  of  this  sect  was 
Mirza  Ali  Mohammed,  born  in  1820.  When  a 
young  man  he  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Kerbela  — 
the  center  of  theological  thought  among  Sheahs. 
There  he  sat  for  a  few  months  under  the  teaching 
of  a  noted  and  rather  mystical  instructor  of  Mos- 
lem theology  and  became  his  enthusiastic  disciple. 
From  long  and  earnest  meditation  he  became  con- 
vinced that  he  received  special  communication 
from  the  supreme  Fountain  of  all  Truth,  and  that 
he  himself  was  an  inspired  prophet.  He  an- 
nounced himself  the  Bab.  He  had  many  followers, 
but  persecution  arose  and  he  was  put  to  death. 
Persecution  and  martyrdom  only  served  to  in- 
crease their  numbers.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate 
how  many  there  are  because  outwardly  they  con- 
form to  Moslem  usages,  and  break  the  law  and 


RELIGIONS  71 

practice  their  own  religion  secretly.  One  writer 
says,  ^'The  rise  of  the  Babi  faith  in  Persia  is  in 
large  measure  due  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 
The  best  of  their  doctrines  are  borrowed  from  it. 
They  treat  with  respect  our  Holy  Scriptures  and 
profess  to  reject  any  opinion  they  may  hold  when 
once  proved  contrary  to  the  Bible.  The  rise  and 
spread  of  such  a  faith  is  in  itself  an  indication  that 
the  people  of  Persia  are  in  large  measure  wearied 
with  Islam  and  anxious  for  a  higher,  a  more  holy, 
a  more  spiritual  faith.'' 

The  Ali-Allahees  are  an  interesting  people 
who  are  outwardly  Moslem,  conform  to  many  of 
their  customs,  and  are  generally  known  as  a  sect 
of  Moslems,  but  are  really  not  Moslems  at  all. 
Many  of  them  dwell  among  the  Kurds,  live  like 
them,  wear  their  dress,  speak  their  language  and 
are  supposed  to  be  Kurds.  Chameleon-like,  they 
adopt  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people 
among  whom  they  dwell,  *  ^  accommodating  them- 
selves to  their  surroundings,  provided  they  are  not 
able  to  overcome  them. ' '  They  are  found  in  Per- 
sia, Turkey,  Russia,  China  and  in  Africa.  In 
places  where  they  are  more  numerous  they  are 
quite  free  and  independent,  possessing  little  of 
that  fear  which  they  have  where  they  are  few  in 
number.  In  Tabriz  and  in  some  other  large  cities 
they  appear  somewhat  civilized  and  refined,  while 
in  many  villages  they  are  scarcely  above  the  ani- 
mals, eating,  sleeping  and  existing  in  the  same 
enclosure  with  them.  Of  the  men  there  are  those 
who  can  read,  but  women  readers  among  them  are 
rare  indeed.  Some  of  the  men  hold  high  positions 
in  government  and  army  and  some  have  acquired 


72  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

wealth.  Their  religion  is  a  strange  combination 
of  truth  and  falsehood,  mostly  falsehood.  Their 
origin  is  obscure.  They  are  thought  by  some  to 
be  descendants  of  ancient  Persian  Christians,  who 
had  grown  cold  and  indifferent,  so  that  when  the 
armies  of  the  false  prophet  conquered  the  land 
they  became  easy  prey.  Fearing  for  their  lives, 
they  substituted  the  name  of  Ali  for  Jesus,  saying, 
^'Ali  is  God"  instead  of  ^' Jesus  is  God."  Hence 
they  are  called  Ali-Allahees.  I  saw  in  one  of  their 
books  a  name  so  written  that  it  may  be  read  either 
Ali  or  Jesus.  They  say  they  have  a  holy  book  of 
their  own  which  takes  the  place  of  the  Bible  and 
the  Koran,  but  it  is  too  sacred  for  profane  eyes,  so 
no  one  ever  sees  it.  They  hold  to  the  traditions 
of  their  ancestors,  and  these  traditions,  handed 
down  from  father  to  son,  they  call  a  '^  White  Book 
written  on  our  hearts."  Thus  their  book  is  a 
myth.  They  call  themselves  ^'The  People  of  the 
Truth. ' '  A  more  appropriate  name  would  be  ^ '  The 
People  of  Lies."  Hiding  their  light  under  a 
bushel,  it  has  gone  out.  All  lie  and  deceive,  swear 
and  revile.  Many  of  them  are  wild  men,  high- 
waymen and  robbers.  There  is  one  Benyamen 
(Benjamen)  for  whom  they  have  a  profound  rever- 
ence and  whom  they  call  a  prophet.  He  lived  a 
long  time  ago  in  a  town  called  Khoraman,  and  was 
buried  in  Kerind,  where  there  is  a  shrine  over  his 
grave  which  they  consider  sacred.  The  history 
of  this  man  is  shrouded  in  mystery.  He  taught 
them  many  secret  signs  and  passwords  by  which 
they  know  one  another  when  they  meet  even  as 
strangers.     They  believe  in  the  transmigration  of 


A  Dervish,  or  wandering  holy  man,  Moslem. 


RELIGIONS  73 

souls.  After  a  man  dies  his  soul  wanders  about 
for  a  thousand  and  one  years,  after  which  time  it 
may  again  enter  a  human  body.  If  he  was  a 
wicked  man  he  may  be  punished  by  becoming  one 
of  the  lower  animals.  If  he  had  lived  a  devout 
and  holy  life  he  might  become  a  manifestation  of 
the  Deity.  So  God  appears  at  different  times  in 
different  forms  in  different  human  beings.  Thus 
Moses,  Gabriel,  Jesus  Christ,  Ali,  Benyamen, 
Henry  Martin,  David  Livingstone  and  others  were 
one  and  the  same  —  God  manifest  in  the  flesh. 
Many  of  them  are  Pantheists.  Some  worship 
Satan.  Some  worship  fire.  One  evening  I  wit- 
nessed a  service  of  their  fire  worship.  A  fire  had 
been  built  in  a  fireplace  and  was  now  one  mass 
of  bright  coals.  A  company  of  men  sat  around  the 
sides  of  the  room.  Half  a  dozen  dervishes  were 
breathlessly  waiting.  One  of  the  men  was  playing 
on  a  stringed  instrument.  Others  were  chanting. 
As  the  leader  entered  the  room  he  cried  out  in  a 
loud  voice,  ^^Ya  Ali!  Ya  Hak!''  (Oh  Ali!  Oh 
Truth!)  Then  all  the  assembly  began  clapping 
their  hands,  continuing  the  chanting  and  crying- 
out  '^Ya  Ali!  Ya  Hak!'^  the  instrumental  music 
also  continuing  all  the  time.  The  waiting  dervish- 
es jumped  to  the  fire,  clawed  out  the  red  hot  coals 
with  their  hard  hornlike  hands  (hard  from  expos- 
ure for  they  live  much  like  beasts).  They  played 
with  the  coals,  throwing  them  around  on  the  carpet 
and  putting  them  in  their  mouths.  All  the  while 
the  clapping  of  hands  and  the  noise  was  going  on. 
When  the  leader  thought  it  was  enough  he  called 
out   to    stop   and   all   was    quiet.      The    panting 


74  MY  LIFE  IN  PEESIA 

dervishes  were  on  their  hands  and  knees  be- 
fore the  fire  that  still  remained  in  the  fire- 
place. The  leader  patted  them  on  the  back, 
saying,  ^'He  has  entered, '^  meaning  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  had  entered  them.  I  could  only 
think  of  Hell.  They  thought  they  were  worship- 
ing God.  One  of  them  afterwards  told  me 
that  they  were  filled  with  the  Spirit  and  that 
was  why  the  fire  did  not  burn  them.  After  this 
part  of  the  performance  was  over  they  had  a  sacra- 
ment, which  this  time  consisted  of  portions  of 
quince,  and  after  that  a  supper  of  meat  and  rice 
was  served. 

As  they  do  not  keep  the  Moslem  fast  or  make 
the  Moslem  prayers,  they  are  often  called  upon 
to  practice  deceit  when  thrown  among  Moslems. 
A  friend  told  me  how  that  once  when  on  a  journey 
he  put  up  for  the  night  at  a  Moslem  village  where 
the  people  were  very  bigoted.  They  would  not 
give  him  shelter  so  he  camped  under  a  tree.  When 
the  time  of  prayer  arrived  he  performed  the  pre- 
scribed ablutions  and  went  through  all  the  forms 
of  prayer.  The  people  seeing  him  thus  engaged 
took  him  to  be  a  very  devout  Moslem,  went  out  to 
him  with  extravagant  professions  of  hospitality, 
invited  him  into  the  house,  entertained  him  with 
honor  and  gave  him  everything  for  his  comfort. 
They  hold  their  meetings  in  secret,  at  night  in 
cellars  or  in  darkened  rooms  with  closed  doors. 
This  they  do  from  fear,  and  this  gives  occasion 
to  their  enemies  to  report  that  they  observe  ob- 
scene rites.  They  have  the  rite  of  circumcision, 
and  a  sacrament  which  seems  to  be  a  relic  of  the 


RELIGIONS  75 

Lord^s  Supper,  also  another  which  may  be  called 
a  love  feast.  They  are  all  divided  among  them- 
selves into  different  sects.  The  different  sects 
may  intermarry,  but  no  bride  can  be  given  from 
them  to  a  Moslem.  If  a  Moslem  bride  be  taken 
into  their  midst  she  must  accept  the  religion  of 
her  husband,  and  ceasing  to  be  Moslem  she  be- 
comes an  Ali-Allahee.  They  do  a  great  deal  of 
proselyting  secretly,  and  there  are  said  to  be  large 
numbers  yearly  won  over  to  them  from  Moslem 
ranks.  Plurality  of  wives  is  forbidden  them,  but 
such  is  the  influence  of  their  surroundings  that 
many  of  them  do  have  more  than  one  wife.  They 
are  very  hospitable  and  not  forgetful  to  entertain 
strangers.  They  receive  the  missionary  with  love 
and  kindness.  Some  call  themselves  Christians. 
Some  acknowledge  their  sins  and  long  for  a  better 
life.  They  received  me  with  warm  friendship, 
with  open  doors  and  with  confidence.  With  one 
whom  they  trust  they  talk  freely  and  like  Chris- 
tians. But  let  an  orthodox  Moslem  enter  and 
instantly  the  ''curtain  drops,"  and  to  all  outward 
appearance  they  are  Moslem.  They  say  ''There 
is  a  curtain."  There  is  much  religious  discussion 
going  on  among  them,  which  must  be  an  influence 
felt  for  their  enlightenment.  The  missionaries 
are  meeting  with  them,  becoming  acquainted  with 
them,  and  the  way  is  opening  up  more  and  more 
for  Gospel  work  among  them. 

Of  the  Kurds  it  is  said  that  there  is  almost 
infinite  variety  in  their  religious  beliefs  and  super- 
stitions. They  are  known  as  Sunis  (orthodox 
Moslem,  the  same  as  the  Moslems  of  Turkey). 


76  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

Many  of  them  are  robbers  and  highwaymen,  and 
many  are  quiet  and  peaceable.  They  have  no  lit- 
erature in  their  language,  and  those  few  who  are 
educated  read  Persian.  The  Jews  are  the  same 
as  Jews  everywhere,  and  are  despised  and  op- 
pressed in  Persia  as  in  other  countries.  The  wan- 
dering tribes  are  Moslem.  Persians,  like  the 
Athenians  of  old,  are  ''very  religious, ''  and  fond 
of  religious  discussion.  This  gives  the  missionary 
opportunities  for  presenting  to  them  Gospel  truth. 
Armenian  history  presents  their  nation  as 
ancient,  rich  and  powerful.  They  were  idolators 
and  were  converted  to  Christianity  in  the  fourth 
century  by  Gregory,  the  Enlightener.  Accepting 
Christianity  as  a  national  religion,  it  was  not  with 
them  a  heart  religion,  but  a  religion  of  outward 
forms  and  rites  and  ceremonies.  They  have  the 
Bible  in  all  purity  but  in  the  ancient  language. 
Thus  it  is  virtually  a  sealed  book,  for  although 
there  is  liberty  allowed  in  reading  it,  there  are 
few  who  care  to  read  it,  few  who  understand  the 
ancient  language,  and  few  who  can  read  any  lan- 
guage. In  their  worship  there  are  fasts  which 
occupy  half  the  year  when  they  abstain  from  all 
animal  food.  They  also  have  burning  of  candles, 
offering  incense,  the  sign  of  the  cross,  pictures  of 
saints,  of  the  Holy  Virgin  and  Christ,  holy  oil, 
reverence  for  relics,  pilgrimages,  sacrifices,  pray- 
ers for  the  dead,  prayers  to  Mary  —  ''Mother  of 
God,"  confession  to  the  priest,  mediation  of  saints, 
baptism  of  infants  on  the  eighth  day  by  triune 
immersion,  transubstantiation,  communion  to  the 
dying.     They  are  industrious,  energetic  and  enter- 


RELIGIONS  77 

prising,  but  proud  and  quarrelsome.  Lack  of  true 
heart  Christianity  and  contact  with  Islam  have 
greatly  affected  their  morals  and  we  find  them  in 
common  with  their  neighbors,  lying,  stealing, 
swearing.  Sabbath  breaking,  drinking,  etc.  They 
know  they  are  sinning  and  will  exclaim,  "Oh  my 
sins  !^'  One  of  them  said  "We  are  steeped  in  sin, 
we  steal,  lie,  cheat,  slander,  extort  and  what  not. 
No  one  goes  truly  in  the  right  way. ' '  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  very  common  to  find  them  self-satisfied 
and  trusting  in  their  own  good  works  for  salvation. 
Their  need  is  true,  living  Christianity,  with 
changed  heart  and  changed  life.  They  are  widely 
scattered  in  these  Eastern  lands,  and  when  truly 
christianized  will  be  a  power  for  good. 

It  was  for  the  Nestorians,  in  the  city  and  plain 
of  Urumia  and  in  the  mountains  of  Kurdistan,  that 
the  first  mission  in  Persia  was  established  in  1835. 
They  were  an  ancient  Christian  people  with  whom 
had  been  the  true  light  and  life  of  Gospel  truth, 
but  they  had  lost  all  vital  Christianity,  and  having 
kept  nothing  but  dead  forms,  were  almost  as 
wicked  in  their  lives  as  the  Moslems  among  whom 
they  dwelt.  In  China  a  tablet  has  been  found 
which  shows  that  they  were  a  missionary  people. 
The  tablet  is  described  as  a  granite  slab  about 
eight  feet  high,  three  feet  wide  and  nearly  a  foot 
thick.  Its  title  is  "A  Tablet  Eulogizing  the  Pro- 
pagation of  the  Illustrious  Religion  in  the  Middle 
Kingdom."  On  the  face  of  the  tablet  is  found 
"The  Lord's  Prayer"  in  Syriac,  an  outline  of  the 
doctrines  taught  by  the  Nestorians  and  a  sketch 
of  the  fortunes  of  Christianity  in  China.  The  Nes- 


78  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

torians  took  their  name  from  their  leader  Nes- 
torus,  who  was  Bishop  of  Constantinople  in  the 
fifth  century.  He  was  orthodox  in  his  christian 
beliefs  and  teachings,  and  refused  to  call  the  Vir- 
gin, ^^ Mother  of  God/'  The  missionaries  found 
the  Nestorians  miserably  oppressed  by  the  ruling 
race.  No  one  dared  wear  a  new  garment  unless 
covered  by  one  old,  ragged  and  dirty,  lest  it  be 
taken  from  him.  Their  only  books  were  in  the 
ancient  Syriac  —  a  dead  language.  There  was 
only  one  woman  among  them  (she  the  sister  of 
the  Patriarch)  who  could  read,  and  only  a  few  of 
the  priests,  and  that  not  understandingly.  They 
received  the  missionaries  with  warm  enthusiasm. 
Dr.  Perkins,  their  first  missionary,  wrote, ' '  Our  ar- 
rival to  reside  among  them  was  welcomed  with  the 
strongest  demonstrations  of  joy.  In  some  villages 
they  marched  out  in  masses  to  meet  us,  with  their 
rude  trumpets  and  drums,  to  express  their  glad- 
ness." Their  leading  men  were  gathered  into 
schools  to  learn  to  read.  As  there  were  then  no 
books  in  modem  Syriac,  letters  and  words  were 
written  on  cards  and  they  were  used  as  text  books. 
After  ten  years'  there  was  a  great  awakening 
among  them  and  many  became  truly  converted. 
The  good  work  begun  grew  steadily  ever  after,  and 
now  the  Nestorians  of  Urumia  are  a  reading  evan- 
gelical Christian  people.  They  are  again  becoming 
a  missionary  people.  They  now  command  the  res- 
pect of  the  Moslems,  dress  well,  have  good  homes, 
own  vineyards,  are  many  of  them  scholars,  preach- 
ers, teachers.  There  have  been  and  are  among 
them  Bible  women,  noble  mothers  and  many  men 


RELIGIONS  79 

occupying  positions  of  trust  and  honor.  The  Bible 
and  many  other  books,  religious  and  educational, 
have  been  translated  and  written  in  modern  Sy- 
riac.  There  is  a  Syriac  paper  —  ^  ^  The  Eays  of 
Light."  There  are  schools  and  churches  in  the 
city  and  in  most  of  the  villages.  At  the  great 
meeting  in  the  Jubilee  year  celebrating  the  first 
coming  of  the  missionaries,  the  request  was  made 
that  all  the  women  present  who  could  read  should 
stand.  Instantly  all  were  on  their  feet,  several 
hundred  of  them. 


VI 

TABKIZ   FOR   CHRIST 

In  those  first  years  there  were  German  mis- 
sionaries residing  in  Tabriz  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Basil  Society.  It  is  recorded  of  them  that 
they  sowed  some  seeds  of  truth,  but  were  unable 
to  do  open  and  direct  missionary  work  and  did 
not  remain  long.  In  October,  1835,  Mr.  Merrick 
arrived  in  Tabriz,  having  been  sent  out  by  the 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  as  a  missionary  to  Moslems.  He 
had  with  him  some  copies  of  the  Persian  Testa- 
ment and  Psalms  and  Proverbs,  but  the  German 
missionaries  did  not  think  it  prudent  or  advis- 
able to  distribute  them  owing  to  the  excitable 
prejudice  of  the  population.  In  1836  he  started 
on  a  tour  through  the  country,  partly  to  ascertain 
the  best  place  of  residence  for  the  missionary  and 
partly  to  study  the  Persian  and  Arabic  languages. 
He  spent  seven  months  in  Sheraz  and  returned  to 
Tabriz  in  May,  1837.  His  observations  of  the 
Moslems  of  the  country  greatly  dampened  the  en- 
thusiasm with  which  he  had  gone  to  Persia.  He 
concluded  that  Islamism  was  a  ^'masterpiece  of 
skill  and  power,  and  at  the  same  time  a  bottom- 
less pit,  not  easily  fathomed  or  filled  up."  He 
wrote  ''Public  preaching  to  the  Persians  is  not 
only  inexpedient,  but  impracticable."  As  to  ed- 
ucation among  the  Persians,  he  pronounced  Tab- 


1 .     Tabriz. 
2.     "Women  grinding  at  the  mill. 


TABRIZ  FOR  CHRIST  81 

riz  the  most  promising  field  for  the  missionary. 
He  was  so  discouraged,  however,  by  the  result  of 
his  efforts  to  establish  Christian  schools,  or  in  any 
way  to  evangelize  the  Moslems,  that  in  1842,  after 
a  seven  years  ^  residence,  the  Board  discontinued 
this  mission  to  Islam  and  transferred  Mr.  Merrick 
to  Urumia.  Tabriz  was  thus  abandoned  as  a  mis- 
sion station  and  so  remained  until  1864,  when  it 
was  occupied  as  an  out-station  by  settling  there 
Deacon  Ishoo  (Nestorian).  It  was  also  from  that 
time  on  occasionally  visited  by  missionaries.  In 
the  autumn  of  1860  Eev.  S.  A.  Ehea  had  gone 
there  on  business.  He  wrote  from  there  in  refer- 
ence to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  ''They  are  in 
the  blindness  and  bigotry  of  Mohammedanism, 
which  still  reigns  with  unbroken  sway  in  all  this 
empire.  All  is  silent  as  the  grave,  no  spiritual 
movement,  no  inquiry  about  the  soul  and  its 
breathless  interests.  It  has  been  my  privilege  to 
pray  for  this  city  and  that  is  all  I  can  do.^'  He 
again  went  to  Tabriz  in  1865,  and  the  last  sermon 
he  ever  preached  was  while  there  at  that  time. 
It  is  recorded  that  ''he  conducted  the  services  of 
the  communion,  the  baptizing  of  Deacon  Ishoo 's 
child,  and  preached  in  Turkish  before  an  audience 
of  thirty-five  persons,  who  listened  with  breathless 
attention  and  beaming  eyes.  The  Spirit  of  the 
living  God  was  in  the  midst  and  the  interest  at- 
tending the  services  was  something  not  of  earth, 
but  imparted  from  on  high.''  In  1868  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin Labaree  went  there  with  his  family  to  spend 
the  winter,  with  the  hope  of  becoming  more  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  field  and  of  being  able 


82  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

to  more  intelligently  urge  the  Board  to  send  mis- 
sionaries to  occupy  it.  He  remained  there  six 
months.  Eegular  preaching  services  were  held 
in  his  hired  house.  He  wrote,  ''These  services 
were  attended  chiefly  by  Armenians  and  by  a  few 
Moslems.  The  congregations  were  very  variable, 
and  no  deep  impression  seems  to  have  been  made.'' 
How  little  any  one  knows  of  the  results  following 
faithful,  earnest  and  consecrated  effort.  All 
these  first  beginnings  were  preparing  the  way  for 
permanent  and  persistent  labors  in  this  darkest 
of  dark  regions. 

Such  were  the  preparations  for  the  perman- 
ent establishment  of  a  Mission  Station  in  Tabriz 
by  American  missionaries.  In  the  meantime  mis- 
sion work  in  Persia  had  been  transferred  to  the 
Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  A  meeting  was  held  in  Urumia  in  Sep- 
tember, 1873,  when  the  expediency  of  the  immedi- 
ate occupancy  of  Tabriz  was  discussed.  Kev. 
P.  Z.  Easton,  then  just  from  America,  argued  that 
special  preparations  had  been  made  for  this  work. 
He  hoped  that  the  ''Nestorians,  like  the  Walden- 
ses,  might  be  a  beacon  light  to  the  nations,  but  it 
is  not  enough  that  we  teach  the  Nestorians.  The 
door  is  wide  open  to  others.  The  Armenians  are 
ready  to  hear.  There  is  a  spirit  of  inquiry.  One 
openly  confesses  Christ.  Let  us  take  another  step 
forward  and  enter  upon  this  work.  God  has  given 
this  world  to  His  Son,  and  this  field  among  the 
rest. ' '  Eev.  H.  N.  Barnum  of  Turkey  being  pres- 
ent said,  "Tabriz  is  a  good  field  for  work  among 
Moslems.     No  doubt  there  will  be  persecutions. 


TABRIZ  FOR  CHRIST  83 

even  to  missionaries,  but  Tabriz  is  near  the  boun- 
dary and  the  English  Consul  is  there.  Those  are 
the  best  workers  who  enter  upon  the  work  hope- 
fully. Those  who  make  the  first  inroads  upon 
Mohammedanism  will  do  the  greatest  work  for 
Christ  in  this  generation.'^  Rev.  W.  L.  Whipple 
reminded  us  that  '^Mohammedanism  is  all  honey- 
combed with  many  sects;  the  country  is  ripe  for 
the  entrance  of  the  Gospel,  many  quietly  inquiring 
and  many  receiving  the  truth.''  Rev.  Gr.  W. 
Coan,  D.D.,  said,  ''There  is  no  question  as 
to  the  desirability  of  occupying  it  if  we  look 
at  it  is  as  a  strategical  point.  The  question 
is  do  we  hear  the  voice  'Go  forward.'  I 
think  we  do.  Preparatory  work  has  been 
done.  Mr.  Rhea's  and  Mr.  Labaree's  works 
there  were  not  without  results.  As  a  point  of  in- 
terest the  way  is  open.  As  a  point  of  legality  the 
way  is  not  open.  The  death  penalty  hangs  over 
every  Moslem  who  turns  from  his  faith.  Even  in 
view  of  tliis  we  must  follow  the  voice  of  the  Lord. 
The  way  is  open  to  the  Armenians,  but  the  Arch 
Bishop  is  bitterly  opposed.  Some  defy  him.  One 
man  has  boldly  spoken  of  the  rottenness  of  the 
Armenian  Church  and  will  not  retract.  If  we 
wait  for  obstacles  to  be  removed  we  will  wait  a 
long  time.  Great  care  and  prudence  are  neces- 
sary, for  we  have  wily  and  powerful  foes.  The 
question  of  religious  liberty  was  brought  to  the 
attention  of  the  Shah  and  he  replied  encouraging- 
ly/' 

It  was  decided  to  establish  the  new  station. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Easton  and  myself  were  set  apart 


84  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

as  pioneers  in  this  work.  So  I  packed  my  few  be- 
longings and  prepared  for  the  journey  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  from  Urumia  to  Tabriz.  Our 
company  consisted  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Coan  (going  to 
help  start  the  work),  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Easton  and 
baby  boy  (she  with  baby  in  takhtrawan)  and  my- 
self, two  Nestorian  preachers  and  the  wife  of  one 
of  them,  some  Armenians  and  several  Moslem 
men  who  furnished  the  horses.  The  latter  walked, 
all  the  others  were  mounted.  We  were  seven  days 
by  the  way,  including  a  Sabbath  day,  when  we  rest- 
ed. Never  was  rest  sweeter  than  it  was  that  day. 
It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  September  and  the  days 
were  hot.  The  caravan  moved  very  slowly.  Ev- 
ery afternoon,  when  we  would  have  finished  the 
stage  for  that  day,  it  would  seem  as  if  every  bone, 
muscle  and  sinew  of  my  body  had  been  pulled, 
jerked,  twisted,  pounded.  I  would  sink  on  the 
floor  exhausted.  The  natives  said  I  was  not 
'^cooked.''  But  the  night's  rest  would  build  me 
up  and  I  would  be  ready  for  another  day's  ride. 
It  was  an  interesting  journey.  We  rode  along  the 
shore  of  Lake  Urumia,  resting  our  eyes  on  its 
deep  blue  waters  lying  tranquil  in  the  bright  sun- 
shine and  keeping  its  secrets  locked  in  its  own 
bosom.  We  rode  around  several  points  of  moun- 
tains extending  down  towards  the  lake.  We 
crossed  a  mountain  pass,  long  and  winding  in  its 
ascent  and  steep  in  descent.  This  pass  is  danger- 
ous because  robbers  prowl  around.  At  the  very 
top  there  is  a  guard  house,  which  is  but  a  low  mud 
hut.  As  we  approached  it  we  saw  men  coming 
out  of  it,  like  ants  from  an  ant  hill.     As  we  drew 


TABRIZ  FOR  CHRIST  85 

near  they  demanded  a  present  for  making  it  safe 
for  us  to  pass.  Probably  some  of  them  were  very 
robbers  themselves.  After  they  had  received  a 
present  of  a  few  cents  they  retired  into  their 
stronghold  and  we  went  on  our  way  unmolested. 
We  crossed  the  beautiful  plain  of  Salmas,  bound- 
ed on  three  sides  by  mountains,  the  other  side  ex- 
tending down  to  the  lake.  This  plain  and  the 
mountain  slopes  are  dotted  all  over  by  villages 
and  towns,  and  the  continuous  trees,  gardens, 
orchards  and  vineyards  make  a  very  attractive 
landscape.  A  river,  like  a  silver  thread,  runs 
the  entire  length  of  the  plain  and  artificial  water- 
ways carry  the  water  in  every  direction.  Persian 
skies  are  very  blue,  stars  very  bright,  moon  as 
beautiful  as  in  our  own  land,  and  the  sun  shines 
nearly  always.  Studying  the  people  we  met  along 
the  way,  I  wondered  what  would  be  my  experi- 
ence with  them  in  the  coming  years,  and  I  lifted 
my  heart  in  prayer  for  God^s  blessing  on  this 
great  work  to  which  He  had  called  me.  We 
reached  Tabriz  September  30th,  1873,  and  took 
possession  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

October  1st,  1873,  is  the  date  of  the  establish- 
ment of  the  station.  We  find  on  record  the  fol- 
lowing: ''Kesolved:  That  we  record  our  sense 
of  the  goodness  of  God  in  permitting  us  to  open 
a  Station  of  the  Persia  Mission  at  Tabriz,  October 
1st,  1873,  and  that  we  invoke  the  Divine  blessing 
upon  our  labors;  observing  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  in  connection  with  the  inauguration  of  our 
work  here.^^ 


86  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

On  the  first  Sabbath  of  October,  1873,  a 
preaching  service  was  held  in  a  room  of  the  house 
rented  for  the  residence  of  the  missionaries. 
There  were  present  thirty  persons,  of  whom  seven 
were  Moslem.  On  the  second  Sabbath  there  were 
forty  present,  of  whom  fonr  were  Moslem. 
Preaching  was  begun  in  Turkish  by  the  Nestorian 
preachers,  Mr.  Easton  not  yet  having  learned  the 
language.  Turkish  was  understood  by  all  and 
was  the  medium  of  communicating  the  truth  to 
the  Moslems.  These  Sabbath  day  services  have 
been  continued  ever  since.  A  mid-week  prayer 
meeting  was  also  begun,  which  has  been  continued 
all  the  years.  Other  services  in  both  Turkish  and 
Armenian  were  afterwards  begun  and  have  been 
carried  on  at  different  times  and  places  as  the  way 
has  opened.  There  were  two  men  who  had  be- 
come converts  to  Protestant  Christianity  through 
the  reading  and  study  of  the  Scriptures.  One 
was  a  Moslem,  who  afterwards  died  a  peaceful 
death,  which  greatly  impressed  his  friends  and 
neighbors.  They  said  ^^He  died  with  a  smile 
on  his  face  like  a  child  going  to  sleep.  We  never 
saw  anything  like  it.''  The  other  had  been  a 
very  stiff  Gregorian  Armenian,  keeping  the  fasts 
with  all  punctiliousness,  making  pilgrimages  to 
sacred  shrines,  offering  sacrifices  and  strictly 
observing  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Old 
Church.  He  was  very  generous,  giving  large  gifts 
to  the  Church.  A  large  costly  picture  of  the  Holy 
Virgin  and  the  Child  Jesus  still  remains  in  the 
Armenian  Old  Church  which  he  put  there.  He 
was    a   wealthy   merchant    in    partnership    with 


TABRIZ  FOR  CHRIST  87 

his  brothers.  The  brothers  had  a  quarrel 
and  he  was  thrown  out  of  business.  One 
day  alone  in  his  room,  anxious  and  troubled,  he 
was  pacing  back  and  forth,  when  he  espied  a  Bible 
lying  on  a  shelf,  unused  and  covered  with  dust. 
Merely  as  a  pastime  he  took  it  up  and  began  to 
read.  It  was  in  the  ancient  language,  but  he  was 
a  scholar.  He  became  interested  and  read  on  and 
on.  As  he  continued  reading  and  searching  he 
exclaimed,  ^^If  this  be  true,  we  are  wrong.'*  He 
found  the  truth  and  became  a  devoted  student  of 
the  Bible  and  an  humble,  true  Christian. 

On  Friday,  April  9th,  1875,  the  Evangelical 
Church  of  Tabriz  was  organized  with  six  mem- 
bers. On  Sabbath  April  11th,  the  sacrament  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered.  In  October 
of  the  same  year  a  convert  from  Islam  was  re- 
ceived on  confession  of  his  faith  in  Christ,  pub- 
licly baptized  and  admitted  to  the  communion. 
He  had  been  led  to  think  about  this  new  faith  by 
the  disturbance  of  1874,  and  said  he  had  no  use 
for  a  religion  that  must  keep  its  adherents  by 
whipping.  He  was  Tabriz's  first  martyr,  for  he 
fled  from  the  persecutions  of  his  family  and  ac- 
quaintances to  Constantinople.  There  he  was 
thrown  into  the  Bosphorus,  and  drowned,  because 
he  was  a  Christian.  Next  Isaac,  a  Nestorian,  was 
received  into  church  membership,  and  soon  after- 
wards Mariam,  an  Armenian  woman.  She  be- 
came a  teacher  and  a  helper  in  gospel  work  for 
six  years,  when  she  died  ** faithful  unto  death." 
There  were  many  hindrances  to  the  progress  of 
the  work  and  the  building  up  of  a  flourishing 


88  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

church  in  Tabriz.  Yet,  in  spite  of  all  obstacles, 
it  gained  steadily  and  the  little  band  of  believers 
increased  year  by  year.  Some  who  were  received 
proved  unworthy;  some  died  witnessing  for 
Christ;  some  removed  to  other  places;  and  still 
the  work  grew.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate  in 
figures  the  membership  and  influence  of  this 
church.  It  is  a  beacon  light  sending  out  its  rays 
in  all  directions,  not  only  in  the  city,  but  all  around 
about.  Tabriz  being  the  metropolis  and  center  of 
trade  and  travel,  many  coming  for  a  short  time  or 
passing  through  would  learn  of  the  Protestant 
preaching  and  would  come  to  hear.  Thus  many 
heard  the  preaching  and  would  go  away  with  seeds 
of  truth  lodged  in  their  hearts,  and  so  a  great  and 
widely  extended  influence  was  exerted.  There 
has  been  aroused  much  reading  of  God's  word, 
much  inquiry  and  discussion,  and  there  are  many 
secret  believers.  Some  we  know,  but  all  are  only 
known  to  Him  who  is  the  searcher  of  hearts,  and 
only  at  the  last  great  day  shall  the  true  reckoning 
be  made  manifest. 

In  the  first  years  a  Kurd  was  baptized.  He 
went  away  and  was  never  heard  from.  There  was 
one  Alaskar,  a  village  man  who  came  one  Sabbath 
day  to  the  missionary,  and  weeping,  threw  himself 
at  his  feet,  asking  advice.  He  had  gotten  posses- 
sion of  a  Testament,  had  read  and  become  a  be- 
liever. One  day  as  he  read  Matt.  5 :15  he  felt  that 
he  ought  not  to  hide  his  light  under  a  bushel  but 
ought  to  confess  Christ.  TV^ien  he  did  so  his 
father  in  anger  snatched  the  book  and  threw  it  in- 
to the  fire.    His  wife  left  him.    He  was  beaten 


TABRIZ  FOR  CHRIST  89 

and  so  persecuted  that  he  fled  and  came  to  Tabriz. 
The  missionary  talked  and  prayed  with  him,  gave 
him  another  Testament,  and  advised  him  to  re- 
turn to  his  village  and  try  again.  He  did  so, 
but  soon  his  life  was  threatened  and  he  again  fled 
to  Tabriz.  There  he  remained  some  time,  faith- 
ful, humble,  consistent.  When  it  was  known  in 
Tabriz  that  he  was  a  Christian  he  was  there  per- 
secuted and  he  fled  to  Kussia,  where  he  was  able 
to  live  a  quiet,  undisturbed.  Christian  life.  The 
story  of  Sheikh  Baba,  the  Kurdish  chief,  is  very 
interesting.  He  was  converted  through  the  read- 
ing of  the  Bible  and  the  faithful  efforts  of  some 
of  our  evangelists  in  conversation,  explaining  and 
exhorting.  He  was  baptized,  lived  a  Christian  life 
and  was  known  and  recognized  among  his  people 
as  a  teacher  of  truth.  His  sayings  were  quoted 
and  his  influence  was  wide  spread.  His  wife  and 
brother,  coming  more  personally  under  his  influ- 
ence, also  accepted  Christianity.  In  1890  I  visit- 
ed his  headquarters  in  a  mountain  village  in  Kurd- 
istan, and  spent  one  happy  night  there  sumptu- 
ously and  lovingly  entertained  by  his  wife.  The 
sheikh  was  a  fine  appearing  man  of  open  counte- 
nance and  noble  bearing.  He  said  '^It  was  love, 
the  love  of  God  and  the  love  of  these,  his  children 
(referring  to  the  evangelists),  that  constrained  me 
to  be  a  Christian.  ^^  Sayid  KhaleePs  story  is  of 
thrilling  interest.  He  was  a  leader  of  dervishes. 
Through  the  reading  and  study  of  the  Bible  he 
was  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity  and  he 
became  an  humble  devoted  Christian.  He  suf- 
fered persecution  and  lost  all  his  earthly  posses- 


90  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

sions,  while  he  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life  in 
proclaiming  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  He 
died' poor  and  needy  and  his  body  was  refused  bur- 
ial by  his  acquaintances  because  he  was  a  Chris- 
tian. In  1879-80  there  was  a  famine,  which  gave 
the  missionaries  an  opportunity  of  manifesting 
the  spirit  of  Christ  in  feeding  the  hungry  and 
clothing  the  naked.  Large  sums  of  money  from 
Europe  and  America  were  sent  for  disbursement 
and  thousands  were  thus  saved  from  starvation. 
Great  numbers  were  in  this  way  brought  under  the 
sound  of  the  Gospel  and  there  were  many  con- 
verts. 

The  history  of  Tabriz  Church  might  almost 
be  called  a  recital  of  persecutions,  for  all  along 
there  has  been  bitter  opposition.  Sometimes  the 
attendance  upon  Sabbath  day  services  has  been 
small,  sometimes  the  chapel  has  been  crowded, 
sometimes  the  numbers  and  regularity  of  attend- 
ance of  Moslems  has  attracted  attention.  Just 
then  the  police  would  be  needing  some  money.  So, 
during  time  of  service,  they  would  place  them- 
selves in  the  street,  watching  the  gate,  and  after 
the  service  was  over,  they  would  pounce  on  those 
who  would  come  out  from  the  meeting,  and  beat- 
ing them  along  the  way,  would  drive  them  to  the 
Chief  of  Police,  where  they  would  be  cast  into  the 
dungeon,  beaten  and  robbed.  Then  for  awhile  no 
one  would  venture  to  come  to  the  meetings.  The 
first  outbreak  occurred  about  the  first  of  Febru- 
ary, 1874,  less  than  five  months  after  the  beginning 
of  the  station.  There  was  a  remarkable  interest 
among  both  Armenians  and  Moslems.  There  were, 


TABRIZ  FOR  CHRIST  91 

in  addition  to  the  regular  meetings,  some  Friday 
meetings  with  large  companies  of  men  at  Moslem 
houses.  Both  nationalities  were  attending  the 
Sabbath  day  services  and  there  was  much  dis- 
cussion on  religious  themes.  It  was  some  Armen- 
ian priests  who  stirred  up  the  commotion.  They 
were  afraid  of  the  truth  as  taught  by  the  mission- 
aries, and  powerless  themselves  to  hinder  the 
work,  they  took  advantage  of  this  growing  interest 
among  Moslems  by  complaining  to  the  Moslem 
Ecclesiastical  Head  that  we  had  come  to  turn  not 
only  Armenians  from  their  faith  but  Moslems  as 
well.  They  told  lies  about  us,  saying  that  we 
preached  that  there  is  no  God,  no  prophet.  They 
said  to  the  Chief  Ecclesiastic,  ^^We  must  unite  to 
get  these  people  away  from  here.''  Moslem  auth- 
orities became  excited.  Spies  were  sent  to  the 
meetings,  police  were  stationed  in  the  street,  and 
one  Sabbath  day  some  Moslems  were  taken  up, 
put  in  prison  and  whipped.  One  man  was  beaten 
nearly  to  death,  and  actually  did  die  soon  after 
from  the  effect  of  the  beating.  He  had  not  be- 
come a  Christian,  but  was  the  leader  of  a  sect 
obnoxious  to  the  orthodox  Moslems  and  they  took 
this  opportunity  of  wreaking  their  hate  on  him. 
Mullah  Abdul  Hassan  was  known  to  be  a  Chris- 
tian. He  remained  firm  and  faithful,  cr^dng  out 
in  agony  when  they  were  beating  him,  ^*0h,  God, 
oh  King  of  Heaven,  do  thou  show  judgment.'' 
They  plied  him  with  questions  and  they  said  *  ^  Oh, 
Mullah  (priest),  isn't  it  a  shame  for  you  a  Mullah 
to  go  to  those  people  and  to  let  your  son  be  a  gate 
keeper  for  them  for  ten  cents  a  day. ' '     One  Mirza 


92  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

Ibrahim,  a  scribe  in  the  employ  of  the  Mission, 
was  one  of  those  taken  to  prison.  He  had  in  his 
pocket  a  small  book  of  hymns  that  had  been  trans- 
lated into  Turkish,  which  he  was  copying  for  use 
in  the  meetings.  They  saw  the  book  and  com- 
manded him  to  read.  He  read.  They  exclaimed 
^^Bah!  bah!  what  good  words.''  They  took  the 
book  and  his  cloak  and  sent  him  away  with  cuts 
and  bruises.  When  the  missionary  and  the  two 
Nestorian  preachers  interviewed  the  Secretary  of 
Foreign  Affairs  about  these  things,  he  asked, 
^^What  have  you  come  to  Tabriz  for?  Are  you 
merchants?"  ^^No,  we  preach."  '^What  do  you 
preach?"  ^^We  preach  God  and  Christ,  we  do 
not  teach  the  people  to  lie  and  steal,  but  to  be 
honest  and  truthful."  ^'To  whom  do  you 
preach?"  *'To  all  who  will  listen."  ^*But  your 
business  is  unripe.  It  is  not  cooked.  You  should 
get  permission.  Wait  awhile.  I  will  write  to 
Teheran,  and  when  I  get  permission  for  you  you 
may  preach."  That  permission  never  came,  but 
preaching  went  on,  not  being  even  once  discon- 
tinued. There  came  a  telegram  from  the  Shah, 
demanding  quiet  in  Tabriz,  and  it  was  astonish- 
ing how  quickly  all  the  excitement  passed  away. 
The  Grovernor  said  to  the  missionary,  ^'We  know 
you  are  right,  and  your  religion  is  true,  but  we  fear 
our  priests,  we  must  do  something.."  This  per- 
secution, at  the  time  so  terrible,  had  good  results 
in  this  way,  that  by  it  knowledge  of  our  being 
there  was  published  all  over  the  city,  and  people 
began  to  inquire,  ^'Wlio  are  these  preachers? 
Why  is  it  necessary  to  whip  people  to  keep  them 


TABRIZ  FOR  CHRIST  93 

from  leaving  their  religion?' '  Though  fear  kept 
them  away  for  awhile,  afterwards  larger  numbers 
than  before  came  to  see  and  hear.  Our  own  lives 
were  in  danger,  and  the  great  day  of  mourning 
for  Hassen  and  Hosein,  when  Moslems  are  always 
very  excitable,  coming  in  March,  soon  after  the 
disturbance,  the  English  Consul  invited  us  to 
spend  the  day  at  the  Consulate,  ostensibly  as 
guests,  but  really  for  protection. 

In  1881  an  order  came  from  the  Persian  Gov- 
ernment to  the  effect  that  our  work  for  Moslems 
should  cease.  The  missionaries  were  united  in 
the  feeling  that  we  could  not  desist  from  teaching 
and  preacliing  to  all  classes  of  Persians  as  the 
Lord  should  give  opportunity.  Had  He  not  called 
us  there,  and  should  we  not  go  forward  trusting 
in  Him?  Is  it  not  His  work  and  cannot  He  pro- 
tect it?  After  prayer  and  consideration  a  care- 
fully prepared  answer  was  returned  as  follows: 
^^  Though  we  cannot  close  our  doors  to  any  who 
wish  to  visit  us  in  a  friendly  way,  and  while  we 
endeavor  to  treat  politely  any  persons  who  come 
to  us,  and  occasion  offering,  entreat  them  to  good 
works  and  higher  morals,  we  shall  use  no  undue 
persuasion  for  any  to  attend  our  meetings  or  visit 
our  homes,  and  we  shall  endeavor  to  avoid  any- 
tliing  that  would  disturb  the  peace  of  this  land 
or  cause  any  one  to  become  religious. ' '  The  work 
did  not  cease  but  was  carried  on  a  little  more  cau- 
tiously. 

There  were  petty  persecutions  from  time  to 
time.  One  Mullah  was  the  terror  of  all.  After- 
wards, in  1894,  he  was  found  poor  and  destitute 


94  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

and  sick  nigh  unto  death.  He  was  visited  and 
ministered  unto  by  the  missionary  physician  and 
the  native  evangelist.  He  died  professing  him- 
self a  convert  to  Christianity.  It  was  in  1885  that 
an  outbreak  came  that  for  a  long  time  closed 
doors.  Mirza  Ali  was  a  Moslem  convert  and  a 
member  of  the  church  who  stood  high  in  the  es- 
teem of  the  missionaries.  His  family  life  did  not 
run  smoothly,  and  as  the  result  of  a  family  quar- 
rel his  wife  and  daughter  went  to  the  Chief  Ec- 
clesiastic and  reported  him  a  Christian.  This  was 
just  the  spark  that  was  needed  to  ignite  the  com- 
bustible material.  The  city  was  in  an  uproar. 
Mirza  Ali  fled  to  the  missionary  for  protection 
and  was  hidden  in  his  house  several  days.  When 
it  was  no  longer  safe  there,  one  evening  at  dusk, 
dressed  in  American  clothes,  wearing  American 
hat,  spectacles  and  muffler,  carrying  a  cane  and 
leaning  on  the  arm  of  an  American  gentleman,  he 
passed  by  the  armed  police,  who  were  watching 
for  him,  and  entered  another  missionary's  house 
in  safety.  That  night  he  left  the  city  and  went  to 
Eussia. 


VII 

HOW  WE  WORK 

I.  Schools.  Teaching,  teaching,  teaching! 
The  missionary  is  always  teaching  —  teaching  the 
people,  large  and  small,  old  and  young,  men  and 
women;  so  little  do  they  know  and  so  much  is 
there  to  tell  them.  We  have  schools  for  boys  and 
young  men  and  for  girls  and  young  women.  We 
have  boarding  schools,  kindergartens,  preparatory 
schools,  high  schools,  colleges,  seminaries,  theo- 
logical classes,  industrial  schools  for  boys  and 
training  of  girls  in  sewing  and  all  kinds  of  hand 
work  and  embroidery  and  in  housekeeping.  There 
is  an  extensive  curriculum  of  studies.  The  Bible 
is  taught  daily.  All  the  influence  is  for  truth, 
purity,  uprightness.  Eefined  and  earnest  Chris- 
tian young  men  graduate  from  our  Boys^  Schools, 
and  taking  unto  themselves  lovely,  devoted,  intel- 
ligent Christian  wives  from  our  Girls'  Schools,  go 
out  in  different  directions,  forming  Christian 
homes  which  are  centers  of  light. 

We  find  on  record  the  following,  dated  Octo- 
ber 10th,  1873:  ''Judging  from  all  we  see  and 
learn,  such  is  the  thirst  for  knowledge  among  the 
Armenians,  and  such  also  their  dissatisfaction 
with  their  own  schools,  as  now  carried  on,  that  wo 
should    find    no    difficulty    in    establishing    two 


96  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

schools  —  one  for  boys  and  another  for  girls. 
The  great  drawback  in  both  cases  is  the  want  of 
teachers.'^  On  the  part  of  the  Girls'  School  a 
beginning  was  made.  Two  day  schools  were  start- 
ed during  the  first  year,  one  in  each  of  the  tT\'o 
Armenian  quarters.  An  old  woman  who  could 
read  in  a  chanting,  sing-song  style,  was  found  to 
assist  in  one  of  the  schools;  and  another  who  was 
herself  learning  to  read  took  charge  of  the  other. 
It  was  soon  discovered  that  the  ^'want  of  teach- 
ers'' was  not  the  only  drawback.  It  was  con- 
trary to  custom  for  girls  to  learn  to  read.  There 
was  much  suspicion  of  this  new  movement,  and 
there  was  a  very  strong  mercenary  spirit.  A 
father  would  sell  his  two  daughters  to  me  for  thir- 
ty dollars.  A  mother  would  give  her  daughter  if 
she  should  be  fed  and  clothed.  Another  wished  to 
be  paid  for  sending  children  to  our  school,  and  so 
on.  The  first  school  began  with  twelve  girls,  of 
whom  five  were  Armenian,  one  Nestorian,  two 
Moslem  and  four  French.  The  second  school  be- 
gan with  eight  —  all  Armenian  and  some  of  them 
were  boys.  The  attendance  fluctuated  from  five 
to  twenty,  as  the  school  would  be  popular  or  un- 
popular. It  was  the  day  of  small  things,  but  not 
to  be  despised.  Furrows  were  made  in  the  virgin 
soil  and  influences  were  started  which  have  been 
going  on  ever  since.  Little  Antoine,  one  of  the 
first  pupils  in  the  second  school,  was  taken  ill  and 
died.  During  his  illness,  and  as  long  as  he  could 
speak,  he  kept  repeating  verses  of  scripture  he 
had  learned.  Each  of  these  schools  was  a  center 
for  evangelistic  work,  and  every  now  and  then  in 


Matron  and  boarding  pupils  in  Girls*  School,  Tabriz,  in  1 908 


HOW  WE  WORK  97 

after  years  we  hear  of  first  impressions  for  good 
then  and  there  received. 

These  two  day  schools  struggled  on  with  many 
ups  and  downs  for  six  years,  when  they  were 
merged  into  the  boarding  and  day  school  for  Ar- 
menian and  Moslem  girls,  which  was  started  in  the 
Autumn  of  1879.  At  first  there  were  only  three 
girls  who  could  be  persuaded  to  become  inmates 
of  the  missionary's  house,  but  in  February,  1880, 
there  were  ten,  seven  Armenian,  two  Moslem  and 
one  Nestorian.  The  first  year  of  this  new  depart- 
ure one  of  the  Moslem  girls  made  a  public  pro- 
fession of  Christianity  and  was  received  into 
church  membership.  She  afterwards  fell  away. 
The  other  did  not  profess  Christianity,  and  one 
day  ran  away  from  school  and  did  not  return. 
But  she  had  received  impressions  which  could  not 
be  obliterated  and  which  influenced  her  in  her 
married  life.  In  1881  the  first  Armenian  school 
girl  united  with  the  church.  It  was  said  of  her 
by  her  neighbors,  ^'We  are  sure  that  Horepsema 
is  a  Christian  because  she  does  not  swear  and 
revile  and  get  angry  and  say  bad  words  any 
more.''  She  was  married  to  one  of  our  teachers 
and  together  they  have  worked  for  Christ  in  Khoi. 

The  accommodations  for  the  school  were  poor, 
and  in  1882  ground  was  purchased  and  a  commodi- 
ous building  was  put  up.  We  opened  school  in 
the  new  building  about  the  middle  of  November, 
1882,  with  nineteen  in  attendance,  two  of  whom 
were  from  Maragha.  We  gave  instruction  in  Ar- 
menian, Turkish,  Persian  and  English  —  in  read- 
ing, writing,   grammar,   Bible   study,   catechism, 


98  ]\IY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

arithmetic,  geography,  singing,  fancy  work,  plain 
sewing  and  housekeeping.  We  held  the  closing 
exercises  that  year  in  the  church.  One  hundred 
and  fifty  invited  guests  were  present.  The  girls 
did  well,  and  their  friends  were  surprised  and  de- 
lighted. In  1883-4  forty-two  names  were  enrolled, 
of  whom  four  were  Moslem.  Three  of  the  latter 
remained  but  a  short  time.  The  other  one  con- 
tinued in  the  school  a  year,  when  she  was  taken 
by  that  dread  foe  diphtheria  and  died.  She  gave 
beautiful  evidence  in  her  life  and  on  her  death- 
bed that  she  had  become  a  child  of  God.  Her 
mother  was  a  widow  and  very  poor.  Their  room 
was  very  small.  She  said,  '^Mother,  can't  we  take 
a  wide  roomT'  Then  she  closed  her  eyes  a  few 
moments,  and  soon  after  opening  them  she  said, 
^'I  have  taken  a  wide  room,''  and  her  spirit  took 
its  flight.  That  year,  through  the  enthusiastic  ef- 
forts of  Mrs.  Holmes,  a  kindergarten  department 
was  introduced.  We  now  find  the  school  estab- 
lished on  sure  foundations,  going  on  and  prosper- 
ing year  by  year,  and  with  a  higher  course  of  study 
instituted.  In  1888  a  Band  of  King's  Daughters 
was  organized.  This  organization  was  very  pop- 
ular among  the  school  girls  and  a  great  help  in 
their  Christian  life  and  work.  Later  a  Society  of 
Christian  Endeavor  was  organized.  Christian  in- 
struction is  daily  given.  The  spiritual  influence 
is  steady  and  faithful  towards  leading  the  pupils 
into  the  fold  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  This  Prot- 
estant Girls'  School  has  reached  out  beyond  the 
city  of  Tabriz  and  taken  under  its  care  pupils 
from  Maragha,  Mianduab,  Suldus,  Urumia,  Sal- 


HOW  WE  WORK  99 

mas,  Kara  Dagli,  Muzhumbar,  Suhril,  Alcha 
Mulkh,  Ilkhichee  and  Zenjan  and  from  Russia. 
Its  daughters  are  now  living  and  witnessing  for 
Christ  in  most  of  these  places.  It  is  a  recognized 
institution  and  a  power  for  good. 

In  1876,  so  great  was  the  pressure  from  Ar- 
menians for  us  to  teach  their  boys,  that  we  did 
attempt  teaching  a  few,  even  though  our  equip- 
ment was  so  poor  we  were  unable  to  do  the  work 
well.  Stephen,  an  Armenian  young  man  from 
Klioi,  had  so  thirsted  for  knowledge  that  he  had 
sought  a  place  in  the  school  in  Urumia,  where  he 
was  being  taught  in  the  Syriac  language.  He  was 
called  to  Tabriz  to  be  trained  as  a  helper  in  gos- 
pel work.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Train- 
ing Class.  Afterwards  others  were  added  to  this 
class,  both  Armenian  and  Moslem.  There  were 
many  hindrances  to  the  progress  of  this  Boys' 
School  so  that  it  was  not  fairly  launched  until 
February,  1880,  when  a  day  school  with  thirty-five 
boys  in  attendance  began  to  be  a  success.  In  1882 
more  commodious  quarters  were  provided  and  in 
1883  an  excellent  teacher,  Armenian,  from  Har- 
poot  College,  Turkey,  was  secured,  and  a  Board- 
ing Department  was  the  next  forward  movement. 
The  attendance  that  year  was  fifty-two,  of  whom 
thirteen  were  Moslem,  thirty-eight  Armenian  and 
one  Nestorian.  The  curriculum  of  study  was  en- 
larged. Six  languages,  Turkish,  Persian,  Ar- 
menian, English,  Arabic  and  Russian,  were  taught 
and  used  in  the  school.  In  1884-5  we  find  record- 
ed seventy-one  Armenians  and  fifteen  Moslems. 
**A  good  religious  sentiment  prevailed,  with  five 


100  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

church  members,  four  probationers,  and  others 
showing  signs  of  true  Christian  life  —  the  week  of 
prayer  attended  by  a  spirit  of  revival,  a  weekly 
prayer  meeting  carried  on  and  sustained  by  the 
scholars  —  good  progress  in  outward  gifts  and  in 
the  inner  graces  of  the  Spirit. ' ' 

In  1884  bitter  opposition  broke  up  the  Mos- 
lem department.  But  it  could  not  destroy  the  in- 
fluence of  the  religious  teaching  already  given. 
Then  the  school  was  named  ''The  Normal  and 
Training  Class  for  the  Armenians  of  West  Per- 
sia, '  ^  with  the  hope  in  time  of  gaining  an  influence 
over  the  Moslem  population  and  making  the  school 
an  evangelizing  agency  for  them,  but  chiefly  a 
training  school  for  evangelists  and  teachers. 

The  first  commencement  was  held  in  June, 
1889,  when  seven  young  men  were  honorably  grad- 
uated and  presented  with  diplomas.  There  were 
present  at  the  closing  exercises  the  ''English, 
French  and  Turkish  Consuls,  the  General  of  the 
Persian  army,  the  Principal  of  the  Persian  Gov- 
ernment Schools,  the  Tutor  of  the  children  of  the 
Heir  Apparent,  and  others,  who  expressed  them- 
selves as  highly  gratified.''  The  next  year  an- 
other class  of  seven  was  graduated.  From  these 
fourteen  young  men  four  were  selected  and  organ- 
ized as  a  theological  class,  who  were  afterwards 
ordained  as  evangelists.  The  school  kept  grow- 
ing and  soon  outgrew  its  accommodations.  A 
gift  of  $12,000  by  Mrs.  William  Thaw  of  Pitts- 
burg enabled  the  Mission  to  secure  grounds  and 
build  a  new  school  building,  including  assembly 
hall,  recitation  rooms,  dormitories,  teachers' 
dwellings  and  missionary  residence.     The  name 


HOW  WE  WORK  101 

was  changed  to  the  ^  ^  Memorial  Training  and  Theo- 
logical School  of  Tabriz." 

Bright  was  the  outlook.  But  trials  and  trib- 
ulations were  not  yet  over.  *'In  the  Autumn  of 
1892,  with  encouraging  prospects,  the  wheels  were 
set  in  motion,  when,  on  the  28tli  of  October,  no 
intimation  of  their  purpose  having  been  given  to 
the  missionaries,  both  church  and  Boys'  School 
doors  were  closed  and  sealed  by  government  offi- 
cials. This  was  probably  the  outcome  of  intrigue 
by  the  Armenians.''  But  on  the  very  day  that 
the  missionaries  and  native  Christians  had  set 
apart  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  the  seals 
were  officially  removed  and  work  went  on  again. 
*'And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  before  they  call 
I  will  answer,  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking 
I  will  hear."  Isa.  65:24.  The  influence  of 
this  school  is  not  by  any  means  confined  to 
Tabriz  but  reaches  out  over  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Our  **boys"  teach  in  Maragha,  Mian- 
duab,  Souj  Bulak,  Khoi,  Ilkhichee,  Zenjan, 
in  villages  on  Urumia  and  Salmas  plains, 
occupy  posts  of  honor  in  business  houses,  and 
do  evangelistic  work,  influencing  Armenians,  Nes- 
torians,  Jews,  Persians,  Tartar  Turks  and  Kurds, 
not  only  in  Persia  but  also  in  Russia. 

This  story  would  not  be  complete  without  an 
extract  from  the  report  of  the  Memorial  school 
in  1907.  ^'In  the  midst  of  the  startling  political 
events  which  are  occurring  in  Persia,  it  may  seem 
prosaic  to  record  the  simple  annals  of  school  life. 
In  spite  of  all  the  agitations  and  revolutions,  pro- 
mulgations of  constitution  and  election  campaigns, 
patriotic  processions  and  drilling  of  volunteers, 


102  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

plottings  of  Eoyalists  and  Nationalists,  closing 
of  bazaars  and  suspension  of  business,  riots, 
mobs  and  murders,  rumors  of  Kurdish  raids 
and  of  invasions  by  Turkish  Hamidiehs  and 
Eussian  Cossacks,  the  Memorial  School  has 
gone  on  regularly.  The  Persian  pupils  in- 
creased to  eighty,  of  whom  fifty  were  over 
sixteen  years  of  age.  There  were  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  Armenian  and  Syrian  pupils. 
Some  of  the  Persians  were  from  the  families  of 
Hadjis,  Sayids  and  Mullahs,  but  more  were  from 
the  ranks  of  the  nobles.  It  is  curious  to  call  a 
roll  in  which  more  than  half  of  the  pupils  answer 
to  the  title  of  Khan  (Lord),  and  whose  fathers 
are  the  honorary  ^Regulator  of  the  State,'  'Glory 
of  the  Court,'  'Prosperity  of  the  Kingdom,' 
'Splendor  of  the  Country,'  'Pride  of  the  Army,' 
'Sword  of  the  Physicians,'  etc.  Our  primary 
teacher  is  a  Khan  and  a  General.  Our  Arabic  is 
a  descendant  of  Mohammed  and  son  of  the  '  Noble 
of  the  Mullahs. '  Though  their  fondness  for  titles 
amuses  us,  yet  the  fact  that  we  are  training  the 
ruling  class  has  a  marked  significance  in  this  new 
era  of  Persian  development.  It  is  an  encouraging 
fact  that  the  Persians  show  an  increasing  desire 
to  pursue  a  course  of  sound  learning.  Formerly 
a  smattering  of  languages  satisfied  them.  Eng- 
lish is  now  fully  introduced  as  the  language  of 
higher  instruction.  This  has  given  prestige  to 
the  school." 

II.  Missionary  work  naturally  falls  into 
three  great  divisions  —  educational,  evangelistic, 
medical.     The  one  great  object  of  all  efforts  in  all 


Persian  Gentleman 


HOW  WE  WORK  103 

departments  of  work  is  the  advancement  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  the  building  up  of  the  true 
church  on  earth  by  the  saving  of  souls.  The 
specially  evangelistic  work  is  carried  on  by  the 
direct  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  ^'for  it  pleased 
God  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to  save  them 
that  believe.''  I  Cor.  1:21.  So,  on  mission 
ground,  the  Gospel  is  preached  from  the  pulpit, 
in  Sabbath  school,  in  the  houses  of  the  people, 
in  our  own  homes,  everywhere  that  a  listener 
may  be  found,  be  that  audience  one  or  many. 
It  is  the  story  of  the  cross  and  it  is  ever  the 
same,  whether  proclaimed  in  the  churches,  or 
told  by  the  wayside,  in  the  house,  on  the  roof, 
in  field,  in  garden  or  vineyard,  on  threshing 
floor,  down  by  the  mill,  under  the  almond  tree, 
to  rich  or  poor,  sick  or  well,  man,  woman  or  child, 
in  hovel  or  palace,  to  Moslem  or  Christian,  to  wan- 
dering tribes  and  dwellers  in  tents,  to  Kurds  and 
robbers,  anywhere,  everywhere,  at  all  times,  in 
season  and  out  of  season,  here  a  little,  there  a 
little,  line  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  ever 
the  story  of  the  cross,  sometimes  accepted,  some- 
times rejected. 

In  the  cities  we  do  much  house  to  house  visita- 
tion. We  always  carry  with  us  the  Bible.  We 
read,  explain,  exhort,  pray  and  invite  the  sinner 
to  repent  and  give  himself  or  herself  to  Jesus. 
Meetings  are  held  on  the  Sabbath  and  on  week 
days.  We  are  encouraged  to  preach  the  word 
boldly,  sowing  the  seed  beside  all  waters,  because 
God  hath  said,  ^^So  shall  my  word  be  that  goeth 
forth  out  of  my  mouth;  it  shall  not  return  unto 


104  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that  which  I 
please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto 
I  sent  it.'^  Isa.  55:11.  Sometimes  our  hearers 
seem  hard  and  unresponsive,  but  we  know  that 
even  then  impressions  are  made.  We  have  the 
commission  '^Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature.*'  Mark  16:15. 
It  is  ours  to  labor  on,  leaving  results  with 
Him  whose  we  are  and  whom  we  serve,  study- 
ing not  only  the  language  and  the  customs 
of  the  people,  but  the  people  themselves,  enter- 
ing into  their  very  thoughts  and  feelings  and 
their  way  of  looking  at  things.  An  aged  mission- 
ary once  said  to  me,  after  he  had  been  convers- 
ing with  a  man  who  seemed  unimpressible,  ^'I 
wanted  to  look  right  into  his  heart  and  see  what 
was  there.  *'  We  thus  strive  to  become  thorough- 
ly acquainted  with  them,  their  surroundings  and 
the  influences  that  enter  into  their  lives,  putting 
ourselves  as  much  as  possible  in  their  place,  so 
that  we  may  be  able  to  sympathize  with  them  and 
exert  a  greater  influence  upon  them  for  good.  We 
strive  to  be  earnest,  faithful  students  of  the  Bible, 
getting  clear  views  and  right  ideas,  and  to  so  pre- 
sent them  in  an  attractive  manner  that  we  may 
through  the  power  and  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  reach  the  heart  and  win  souls. 

The  necessity  of  having  the  Bible  ready  for 
use  in  the  vernacular  of  the  people,  also  the  need 
of  books  in  the  schools  and  for  distribution,  such 
as  dictionaries,  commentaries,  hymn  books,  tracts 
and  religious  books,  demands  a  great  and  exten- 
sive literary  work.     The  native  converts  to  Chris- 


HOW  WE  WORK  105 

tianity  also  assist  greatly  in  all  these  grand  divi- 
sions of  work.  The  Bible  in  whole  and  in  por- 
tions and  much  religious  literature  have  been  scat- 
tered very  extensively  over  the  land  by  colpor- 
teurs, by  native  evangelists  and  by  missionaries. 
Seed  has  been  sown  and  impressions  made  that 
are  pennanent  and  are  steadily  increasing.  A 
spirit  of  inquiry  has  been  aroused  among  the  peo- 
ple; Bibles  are  bought  and  asked  for;  old  Bibles 
are  brought  out  from  dark  closets,  dust  wiped  off 
and  read.  I  went  with  the  physician  to  a  house 
where  a  little  child  was  ill.  I  was  much  interested 
in  the  father.  He  was  ill  also.  He  sat  propped 
up  in  his  bed  reading  the  Bible.  He  died,  but  I 
could  not  but  have  hope  of  his  soul.  And  there 
are  many  such.  The  other  day  a  man  died  in 
Tabriz  who  had  been  a  very  wicked  man.  He  gave 
good  evidence  of  being  prepared,  having  become  a 
changed  man,  reading  his  Bible,  desiring  religious 
conversation  and  enjoying  religious  tracts. 

There  is  much  sickness  in  Persia.  The  peo- 
ple, not  understanding  the  laws  of  health,  do  not 
know  how  to  take  care  of  themselves  and  are  taken 
with  all  the  ills  flesh  is  heir  to,  acute  and  chronic. 
Our  physicians,  walking  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus, 
go  about  doing  good,  carrying  with  them  healing 
for  body  and  soul.  Thousands  all  over  the  land 
rise  up  to  bless  the  missionary  physician.  Per- 
sians have  great  respect  for  a  doctor,  the  name  by 
which  they  call  him  or  her  —  Hakim  —  meaning 
learned.  Thus  dispensaries  and  hospitals  are  a 
very  prominent  and  very  important  feature  of  our 
missionary  work. 


VIII 

woman's  work  for  woman 

There  was  a  time  when  Persia  was  one  of  the 
mighty  nations  of  the  earth.  It  has  been  said  of 
the  Persians  that  ''they  were  ever  the  firm  friends, 
liberators  and  protectors  of  God's  chosen  peo- 
ple —  the  first  to  welcome  and  worship  the  new- 
born Messiah  —  the  first  among  those  who  re- 
ceived the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  —  the  first 
among  those  who  began  to  preach  the  gospel  which 
is  to  be  proclaimed  in  every  land  and  in  every 
tongue,  until  all  nations  shall  have  become  evan- 
gelized.'' We  cannot  say  that  of  Persia  now. 
With  the  degradation  of  woman  has  come  the  fall 
of  the  land.  What  could  we  expect  from  such  a 
religion,  such  a  government,  where  woman  is  un- 
educated and  cast  down,  ''whose  desire  is  unto 
her  husband,"  who  looks  upon  her  merely  as  an 
animal  —  a  chattel  or  machine  —  a  piece  of  prop- 
erty—  where  she  is  one  of  many  wives  who  may 
be  divorced  at  his  pleasure.  Oh  woman!  hard  is 
thy  lot.  I  have  visited  the  Moslem  lady  of  rank 
and  wealth  in  the  harem.  Passing  the  outside 
entrance,  which  is  kept  guarded  by  soldiers,  I  have 
been  escorted  through  a  long,  dark,  narrow,  wind- 
ing passage  to  the  inner  court,  where  the  heavy 
curtains  would  be  lifted  and  I  would  there  be  met 
by  eunuchs  or  women  of  inferior  rank,  and  by 


WOMAN'S   WORK  FOR  WOMAN  107 

them  conducted  into  the  presence  of  the  lady.  She 
would  be  found  reclining  on  elegant  cushions,  at- 
tended by  her  maids,  herself  bejeweled,  painted 
and  dressed  in  gorgeous  silks  and  velvets  with 
gold  and  silver  embroidery;  and  surrounded  by 
all  sorts  of  pretty  and  costly  things,  and  spending 
her  time  in  gossip  and  idleness.  So  she  fritters 
her  life  away,  doing  a  little  needle  work,  eating, 
drinking,  smoking,  counting  her  rosary,  repeating 
her  meaningless  prayers.  Perhaps  she  reads  a 
little ;  but  that  is  in  the  Koran  and  as  meaningless 
to  her  as  her  prayers.  Occasionally  enveloped  in 
overalls,  mantle  and  veil,  attended  by  a  train  of 
men  servants  and  maid  servants,  she  goes  to  the 
bath  to  spend  a  day,  or  to  visit  a  friend  or  neigh- 
bor, just  as  secluded  and  with  a  life  as  aimless  as 
her  own.  What  thought  has  she  of  training  her 
children  for  a  life  of  usefulness  or  the  glory  of 
God?  What  pure  and  exalted  motives  has  she  in 
the  ordering  of  her  own  life,  what  mental  train- 
ing, what  preparation  for  eternity?  None  what- 
ever. Oh,  my  sister,  my  poor  blind  sister!  my 
heart  aches  for  thee ! 

A  great  contrast  in  social  standing  is  the  vil- 
lage poor  woman,  bare-footed,  but  head  and  face 
covered,  rude,  noisy,  dirty,  quarrelsome,  degraded. 
Pitiable  indeed  is  her  condition.  The  women  of 
the  middle  class  have  much  more  freedom  than 
those  of  the  higher  class.  They  may  visit  more 
often,  may  go  to  the  bazaars  and  walk  the  streets 
unattended.  In  this  class  too  there  is  less  polyg- 
amy, because  the  men  of  this  class  cannot  afford  to 
support  more  than  one  wife.     There  is  also  among 


108  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

them  a  certain  degree  of  intelligence,  self  respect 
and  independence. 

Moslem  women  expect  to  be  beaten  by  hus- 
band and  mother-in-law.  Is  she  not  their  prop- 
erty, their  slave?  She  knows  no  other  way  and 
has  no  redress.  She  may  revile  and  curse  and 
hate,  but  she  still  continues  to  drag  on  her  weary 
existence.  She  may  fret  because  she  cannot  have 
all  the  things  she  wants.  She  may  be  wearing  out 
her  life  in  jealousy  and  hatred  of  her  husband's 
other  wives,  spending  her  energies  in  inventing 
ways  of  making  them  miserable,  and  of  making 
herself  so  attractive  to  the  husband  that  she  may 
always  be  his  favorite  wife.  If,  perchance,  she 
is  the  only  wife,  she  is  in  constant  dread  of  the 
time  when  another  may  be  taken.  Knowing  that 
at  any  time  her  master  may  divorce  her,  she  often 
secretly  gathers  together  all  the  jewelry  and  val- 
uable things  she  can  get  possession  of  to  take  with 
her  when  she  is  sent  away.  The  one  wife  of  a 
wealthy  Moslem  confidentially  unlocked  a  box  and 
showed  me  the  contents  —  gold  and  silver  orna- 
ments and  precious  stones,  which  she  was  thus 
secretly  hoarding  for  such  an  emergency.  If  she 
should  become  poor  she  would  have  them  for  sale 
for  her  living.  Having  children  of  her  own,  whom 
she  loves  with  all  the  natural  passion  given  to 
mothers,  it  often  happens  that  in  some  secret  way 
a  woman  manages  to  destroy  the  life  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  other  wives,  in  order  that  her  own 
children  may  be  heirs  of  all  the  property.  While 
there  is  rejoicing  over  the  birth  of  a  boy,  there 
are  expressions  of  sympathy  and  resignation  to- 


WOMAN  ^S  WORK  FOR  WOMAN  109 

the  will  of  God  if  the  baby  is  a  girl.  The  ordinary 
greeting  to  the  mother  from  her  friends  when  a 
boy  is  born  is  ''May  God  bless  him/'  for  the  baby 
girl ' '  May  God  forgive  you. ' '  This  is  not  without 
reason,  for  do  they  not  know  that  the  future  of  the 
little  girl  is  a  dark  one?  It  is  not  necessary  that 
she  learn  to  read,  but  she  must  be  an  adept  in  all 
the  proprieties  and  assumed  modesty.  A  man  was 
teaching  his  daughter  to  read.  I  suggested  that 
he  also  teach  her  to  write.  He  replied,  ''Oh,  no, 
that  would  never  do.  It  would  be  a  shame  for  a 
girl  to  learn  to  write. '*  We  are  glad  to  know, 
however,  that  in  these  later  years  many  girls  are 
learning  to  write  as  well  as  read.  Such  a  one 
earns  a  title  and  is  called  ' '  The  reading  woman. ' ' 
A  father  is  responsible  for  the  sins  of  his  daugh- 
ter until  she  is  twelve  years  old;  after  that  her 
husband  assumes  the  responsibility.  Few  women 
are  brought  to  judgment,  because  the  husband  an- 
swers for  her  misdeeds,  and  he  inflicts  the  punish- 
ment on  her,  and  with  interest  too.  When  she  is 
but  a  child  she  must  be  married.  If  there  can  be 
found  for  her  a  suitable  husband,  well  and  good, 
if  not  she  must  take  what  she  can  get.  As  a  rule 
she  has  nothing  to  say  as  to  the  one  to  whom  she 
shall  be  given.  From  twelve  to  sixteen  is  the  most 
acceptable  age.  From  twenty  to  twenty-five  it  is 
considered  a  calamity  if  she  is  unmarried,  and 
with  shamefacedness  she  stands  while  it  is  an- 
nounced that  she  is  only  a  girl.  Harriet  Mar- 
tineau  wrote  of  Moslem  women  as  "the  most 
studiously  corrupted  women  she  ever  met. ' ' 


110  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

Such  are  the  women  in  whom  we  are  inter- 
ested and  for  whom  we  labor  in  Persia.  We  make 
many  visits  to  them  in  their  own  abodes.  They 
always  receive  ns  politely,  cordially,  gladly,  and 
always  entertain  us  with  the  best  they  have.  The 
rich  entertain  sumptuously,  with  sherbets,  tea, 
coffee,  sweets,  fruit,  lettuce,  cucumbers,  melons, 
pomegranates,  etc.  The  very  poor  will  find  some- 
thing to  set  before  us,  it  may  be  a  dish  of  nuts  and 
raisins. 

What  a  break  in  the  monotony  of  the  Persian 
ladies'  life,  what  a  refreshing  treat  from  the  out- 
side world,  is  the  visit  of  the  missionary  lady  to 
the  harem!  Like  little  children,  they  are  full  of 
curiosity  and  ask  many  questions.  They  want  to 
know  about  our  world  and  all  our  life  in  it,  our 
habits,  our  dress,  our  home  land  and  our  friends 
and  relatives.  How  could  we  leave  home  and 
loved  ones  so  far  away?  Did  we  come  to  learn  a 
new  language,  to  learn  their  religion  or  something 
of  them?  Or  were  we  laying  up  for  ourselves 
merit  in  Heaven?  Then  we  seize  the  opportunity 
of  telling  them  of  the  love  of  Christ  constraining, 
and  that  we  came  to  tell  of  Him,  how  He  loves 
them  so  much  that  He  left  His  glorious  home 
above,  to  suffer  and  die  for  them.  As  we  tell  of 
Jesus,  frequently  they  exclaim,  ^*0h,  yes,  we  love 
Jesus  too.  He  was  a  good  man  and  a  prophet.'' 
*^  Yes,  indeed,"  we  reply,  *^He  was  a  good  man  and 
a  prophet,  but  he  was  more  than  a  prophet.  He 
was  and  is  our  Savior."  Then  they  say,  *^He  is 
your  Savior  and  Mohammed  is  ours."  Then  we 
tell  them  over  and  over  the  story  of  Jesus  and 


WOMAN'S   WORK  FOR  WOMAN  111 

His  love,  His  life  on  earth,  His  works  and  words, 
His  death  and  resurrection,  and  how  He  is  now  the 
risen  Lord  and  our  and  their  Savior  and  Interces- 
sor. Sometimes  they  will  be  politely  indifferent, 
sometimes  refuse  to  listen  at  all  and  make  inter- 
ruptions. Sometimes  they  will  argue  and  oppose, 
and  accuse  us  of  blasphemy  if  we  speak  of  Christ 
as  God  or  the  Son  of  God.  Sometimes  they  listen 
eagerly,  exclaiming,  ^^Wliat  good  words,  tell  us 
more.'^  We  must  tell  the  story  simply  as  to  a 
little  child,  and  over  and  over.  We  may  speak 
plainly  to  them  of  their  sins.  They  are  always 
ready  to  acknowledge  that  they  are  great  sinners, 
often  crying  out  —  ^ ' what  shall  we  do?  We  don't 
know  any  better.  We  are  beasts. '^  Or  with  a 
shrug  of  the  shoulder  they  say,  *  *  God  is  merciful, ' ' 
and  go  on  in  the  same  way.  Every  opportunity 
thus  improved  is  one  more  stroke  in  undermining 
and  battering  down  the  mighty  structure  of  Islam. 
It  impresses  them  favorably  for  us  to  open 
the  Bible  and  read  from  its  pages.  All  the  Word 
of  God  is  profitable,  but  I  found  some  portions 
more  especially  adapted  to  our  work.  It  is  often 
expedient  to  begin  with  the  *^  Sermon  on  the 
Mount ; ' '  there  is  the  beautiful  story  of  the  mirac- 
ulous birth  and  the  appearance  of  the  Shepherds ; 
there  are  the  parables  and  miracles;  the  healing 
of  the  sick,  raising  the  dead,  the  Creation  and  the 
Fall,  when  we  show  them  how  woman  was  degrad- 
ed by  the  Fall  and  is  exalted  by  the  Savior.  There 
are  Bible  stories,  the  Commandments,  lessons  on 
cleanliness,  not  outside  and  ceremonial,  but  true 
purity  of  heart  and  life.    At  a  Moslem  village  they 


112  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

would  not  let  the  woman  who  was  with  me  use  a 
vessel  of  theirs  in  which  to  cook  for  me  a  chicken 
because  she  was  a  Christian  and  consequently  un- 
clean. Later,  as  a  crowd  of  them,  dirty  and  re- 
pulsive, gathered  around  me,  I  improved  the  op- 
portunity of  giving  them  a  lesson  on  true  cleanli- 
ness and  purity,  putting  the  truth  right  home  to 
them.  They  listened  and  exclaimed,  ''It  is  true, 
it  is  true.''  At  another  place,  sitting  on  the  grass 
in  an  orchard,  some  women  asked  me  to  tell  them 
a  story.  I  told  them  the  story  of  Joseph.  How 
interested  they  were.  The  story  was  called  for 
again  and  again  by  different  companies  of  women. 
And  such  experiences  are  of  frequent  occurrence. 
The  home  life  of  the  missionary  impresses  them 
as  they  see  the  courtesy  and  love  shown  by  the 
husband  to  the  wife,  her  security  of  position 
and  her  happiness  and  content,  with  no  fear  of 
ever  being  divorced  and  how  she  is  loved  and  hon- 
ored by  her  children.  They  say  ''Your  prophet 
was  good  to  you,  but  our  prophet  gave  us  a  hard 
life." 

In  working  with  nominally  Christian  women 
we  have  much  in  common  to  begin  with.  We  have 
the  same  Bible,  the  same  belief  in  Jesus  —  the  Son 
of  God  and  Savior  of  sinners  —  the  same  Sabbath 
day,  and  the  same  views  of  the  sacredness  of  the 
marriage  relation.  We  find  much  superstition 
with  them  and  many  errors  —  and  it  is  our  priv- 
ilege to  show  them  where  they  are  making  mis- 
takes, and  bring  home  to  them  their  duties  and 
responsibilities  as  Christians,  so  leading  and  guid- 
ing them  to  higher  and  holier  living,  and  in  all  our 


WOMAN'S  WORK  FOR  WOMAN  113 

intercourse  with  them  striving  to  turn  their 
thoughts  from  things  worldly  and  trivial  to  things 
higher  and  better.  We  can  sympathize  with  them 
in  their  trials  and  temptations  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, bridging  over  the  chasm  between  us  caused 
by  their  lack  of  culture  and  education  as  well  as 
difference  of  race  and  country.  We  may  give 
careful  and  loving  answers  to  their  innumerable 
questions,  many  of  them  frivolous.  All  tliis  re- 
quires tact,  patience,  perseverance,  prudence,  wis- 
dom, consecration  and  the  presence  and  indwell- 
ing of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our  own  hearts.  It  may 
be  that  some  little  kind  word  or  act  may  find  lodg- 
ment in  some  mind,  awaken  thought  and  lead  to 
further  inquiries.  We  must  not  become  discour- 
aged, even  when  we  are  misunderstood  and  our 
efforts  seem  to  fail.  When  we  remember  the  long 
patience  of  our  Heavenly  Father  with  us,  we  may 
learn  to  bear  with  the  poor,  ignorant  women  to 
whom  He  sent  us.  Then  we  must  not  expect  too 
much  from  them,  even  after  they  have  become  con- 
verted, for  the  fetters  of  custom  are  strong  and 
they  often  fall.  The  work  is  not  altogether  easy, 
the  ignorance  is  so  great,  the  darkness  so  dark, 
the  superstitions  so  powerful,  the  attachments  to 
the  old  ways  of  belief  and  habits  of  life  so  bind- 
ing, Satan's  stronghold  so  strong  and  his  hold  on 
the  hearts  of  the  people  so  firm,  that  it  is  only  by 
a  miracle  of  grace  that  any  woman  is  rescued  from 
her  lost  condition  and  brought  from  death  to  life. 
It  will  take  more  than  one  generation  of  mission- 
ary toil  in  preaching  and  teaching  and  pleading 


114  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

and  praying  to  lift  them  up  to  light  and  truth  and 
pure  Christianity. 

With  the  hope  of  bringing  the  women  of  all 
classes  and  races  under  the  influence  of  refined 
Christian  homes,  we  do  much  entertaining.  We 
arrange  our  homes  as  nearly  as  we  can  like  Amer- 
ican homes,  and  there  is  much  for  them  to  see 
and  wonder  at  —  and  question  about.  Very  true 
is  it  that  only  a  partial  report  can  be  written, 
the  daily  routine,  the  weariness,  our  own  short- 
comings, the  seemingly  fruitless  efforts,  the  little 
annoyances,  the  frequent  interruptions,  the  many 
times  that  our  hearts  are  wounded  by  the  coldness 
and  indiif erence  and  ingratitude  of  those  for  whom 
we  labor  and  pray.  How  long  is  the  seed  sowing ! 
When  shall  the  harvest  be?  The  great  work  of 
the  missionary  lady  is  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  the 
abodes  of  the  people,  to  teach  the  women  and 
children  of  Christ  and  the  way  of  salvation,  to 
influence  the  entire  family  toward  righteousness 
and  true  living.  This  evangelistic  work  among 
the  women  of  Tabriz  was  all  along,  even  from 
the  beginning,  attended  with  difficulties.  At  first 
no  woman  of  self  respect  would  come  near  us. 
They  were  very  secluded  and  very  suspicious  of 
strangers.  They  were  especially  suspicious  of  us 
because  of  the  false  impression  they  had  received 
as  to  our  moral  character,  and  they  believed  we 
had  come  to  set  aside  the  right  religion  and  estab- 
lish in  its  place  heresy  and  infidelity.  Our  not 
keeping  the  fasts  and  feasts,  not  going  through 
the  prescribed  forms  of  prayer,  not  performing  the 
required  ablutions  before  and  after  meals,  not 


WOMAN'S  WORK  FOR  WOMAN  115 

hiding  our  faces  if  a  man  appeared,  and  many 
things  that  we  did  or  did  not  do,  shocked  the  Mos- 
lems. Among  the  Armenians  it  was  reported  that 
we  spat  upon  the  image  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  that 
the  reason  for  our  closing  our  eyes  in  prayer  was 
that  we  might  not  see  the  Virgin  if  she  should 
pass  by,  and  that  we  trampled  on  the  cross  of 
Christ  because  we  did  not  wear  the  crucifix  or 
make  the  sign  of  the  cross  in  our  devotions.  And 
they  called  us  unbelievers.  The  priests  and  ec- 
clesiastical rulers,  being  afraid  of  our  teaching, 
forbade  the  women  to  come  to  us,  and  those  who 
did  venture  to  come  or  to  receive  us  into  their 
homes  were  called  to  an  account  and  threatened 
thus,  * '  If  you  go  there  we  will  not  bury  you  when 
you  die.''  Gradually,  however,  doors  began  to 
open  and  an  entrance  to  be  obtained  in  many 
houses  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  both  Armeni- 
an and  Moslem. 

It  was  the  Bible  that  opened  these  doors. 
There  were  two  young  men,  Moslem,  who  came 
asking  to  be  taught  English.  That  work  fell  in- 
to my  hands,  and  through  them  I  obtained  an  en- 
trance to  their  dwellings.  I  read  the  Bible  to  the 
women  assembled.  With  astonishment  and  de- 
light they  heard  the  new  and  wonderful  words. 
After  that  first  visit  I  was  repeatedly  invited  to 
visit  them.  Neighbors  and  friends  would  as- 
semble, would  listen  and  would  invite  me  to  visit 
in  their  houses.  So  the  visiting  work  grew  and 
grew  until  there  were  more  places  to  visit  than 
time  or  strength  for  visiting.  The  entrance  to 
Armenian  houses  was  effected  in  a  similar  manner. 


116  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

Simply  with  Bible  in  hand,  doors  were  opened 
everywhere,  among  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor, 
of  both  nationalities,  and  we  were  called  '^The 
People  of  the  Book/'  These  visits  have  become 
a  prominent  feature  of  our  work.  It  is  the  en- 
deavor of  the  missionary  ladies  that  they  shall  be 
occasions  of  making  spiritual  impressions.  They 
vary  in  length  from  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  to  three 
or  more  hours.  Occasionally  there  is  no  oppor- 
tunity presented  for  religious  conversation,  but 
almost  always  we  can  speak  a  word  for  the  Mas- 
ter, and  most  frequently  a  visit  becomes  a  Bible 
meeting. 

Very  soon  after  the  establishing  of  the  new 
station  I  began  a  regular  weekly  Woman's  Meet- 
ing. At  first  there  were  very  few  who  would  at- 
tend. But  the  numbers  increased,  and  when  other 
missionary  ladies  were  added  to  our  little  band 
they  also  took  part  in  this  work.  These  meetings 
have  been  kept  up  all  the  years  with  varying 
interest  and  attendance.  In  the  first  years  they 
were  often  noisy  and  disorderly,  the  women  not 
yet  having  learned  how  to  conduct  themselves  — 
a  marked  contrast  to  many  precious  meetings  held 
since.  Many  would  come  from  motives  of  cur* 
iosity  or  hope  of  worldly  gain.  Many  would  stay 
away  from  fear  of  consequences,  saying,  ^*It  is 
not  safe  to  go  to  those  meetings,  because  there 
we  are  reminded  of  our  sins  and  become  uncom- 
fortable." So  we  go  among  the  women  of  Persia, 
knowing  nothing  but  Christ  and  Him  crucified. 
Our  Captain  rules  over  all  and  in  His  own  good 
time  and  way  He  will  ^' bring  it  to  pass."     We 


WOMAN'S   WORK  FOR  WOMAN  117 

believe  that  Persia  will  become  an  enlightened 
Christian  land,  and  that  her  women  will  rise  to 
that  position  of  honor  and  purity  and  freedom 
which  is  only  attainable  by  the  Gospel  truth  and 
the  power  of  God.  '^I  have  sworn  by  myself,  the 
word  is  gone  out  of  my  mouth  in  righteousness 
and  shall  not  return,  that  unto  me  every  knee 
shall  bow,  every  tongue  shall  swear.''  Isa.  45:23. 
During  the  first  winter  of  my  sojourn  in 
Tabriz  I  counted  all  who  might  be  considered 
true  spiritual  Protestant  Christians  in  the  city, 
and  the  number  was  sixteen.  Aften  ten  years  the 
number  of  our  Protestant  women  was  sixteen. 
And  the  character  of  our  women's  meetings  was 
wonderfully  changed.  We  had  been  observing 
the  week  of  prayer  in  the  Church.  There  was 
a  spirit  of  revival  in  our  midst  —  a  solemnity, 
earnestness,  spirituality  never  before  so  manifest. 
I  called  a  special  meeting  of  the  *^ sisters"  who 
were  church  members.  Nearly  all  present  volun- 
tarily took  an  active  part  in  the  exercises.  We 
spent  together  at  that  meeting  one  hour  and  a 
half,  and  the  time  seemed  too  short,  so  great  was 
the  interest  felt  and  the  joy  experienced.  There 
was  no  excitement  but  deep  calm  and  peace.  At 
our  next  regular  meeting  there  were  fifty  present. 
Several  of  the  leading  ones  were  kept  away  from 
that  meeting  by  sickness,  and  I  feared  the  timid 
ones  would  not  have  courage  to  speak  before 
such  an  audience,  but  what  was  my  joy  to  find 
that  the  spirit  of  our  week  of  prayer  meetings 
was  still  with  us  and  more  abundantly.  One  sur- 
prise followed  another  as  a  voice  was  heard  in 


118  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

one  part  of  the  room,  then  in  another,  one  reading 
a  portion  of  scripture  and  making  a  few  remarks, 
one  reading  some  thoughts  she  had  composed  and 
written  down,  another  leading  in  prayer  and  so 
on.  One  whose  voice  I  had  not  before  heard  in 
prayer  found  courage  to  pray.  Her  voice  was 
scarcely  above  a  whisper,  but  the  effort  was  a 
blessing.  The  meeting  continued  two  hours  with- 
out interruption  or  abated  interest.  This  marked 
a  new  era  in  woman's  work  for  woman  in  Tabriz. 


IX 


TOUKING 


Tabriz  is  the  center  of  a  large  and  interesting 
tract  of  country,  dotted  all  over  with  villages  and 
towns,  where  there  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
deluded  ones,  sitting  in  the  darkness  of  the  Val- 
ley of  the  Shadow  of  Death,  into  whose  hearts 
the  light  of  the  Gospel  has  not  yet  penetrated. 
Some  missionary  work  has  been  done  in  this 
region,  but  little  compared  with  the  great  need. 
Colporteurs  travel  over  the  country  trying  to  sell 
Bibles,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  so  few  read,  the 
sales  are  comparatively  small.  Missionaries  and 
native  evangelists  go  on  tours  preaching,  teach- 
ing, sowing  the  seed.  We  do  not  always  know  the 
results  or  see  the  fruit,  but  we  do  know  that  as 
God^s  Word  is  true  there  shall  be  a  harvest. 

As  we  go  south  from  Tabriz,  after  riding 
twenty  miles  we  reach  Ilkhichee  —  a  large  village 
of  Ali-Allahees.  For  many  years  we  have  been 
acquainted  with  them  and  they  have  always  been 
friendly.  They  would  gather  around  us  when- 
ever we  visited  them,  and  would  listen  attentively 
as  we  read  and  preached  to  them.  We  knew  they 
would  steal,  beg,  lie,  swear,  and  that  their  best 
motives  were  all  mixed  with  deceit  and  supersti- 
tions. Still  our  hearts  would  go  out  to  them  in 
love  and  sympathy,  and  we  were  glad  to  be  with 


120  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

them  to  do  them  good.  I  find  among  my  papers 
a  report  of  a  Sabbath  day  spent  there,  as  fol- 
lows :  ' '  After  breakfast  a  little  company  of  men 
and  women  gathered  in  the  room  where  I  was  stay- 
ing and  we  had  a  meeting.  On  the  wall  I  hung 
some  pictures  of  Bible  scenes,  told  the  stories,  and 
taught  the  lessons  from  them.  Then  some  men 
came  for  religious  conversation  which  lasted  until 
noon.  Then  I  rested.  After  lunch  I  took  my 
Testament  and  went  to  a  neighbor's  and  had  a 
meeting  there.  Wlien  I  returned  to  my  room 
some  women  came  in  to  see  the  pictures,  and  again 
there  was  a  talk.  After  dinner,  in  the  evening 
there  was  again  a  meeting. '^  Was  it  not  a  priv- 
ilege to  spend  the  whole  day  working  for  Jesus? 
Much  good  seed  has  been  sown  in  Ilkliichee.  The 
son  of  the  spiritual  leader  became  a  Christian. 
He  lived  and  died  ''faithful  and  true,''  by  his 
life  influencing  the  lives  of  others.  Going  on 
from  Ilkhichee,  our  road  passes  through  Moslem 
towns,  leaving  many  to  right  and  left.  We  stop 
at  the  different  places.  We  preach  and  there  are 
many  hearers.  There  are  the  wayside,  the  stony 
ground,  the  thorny  choked  hearers,  and  we  trust 
some  seed  finds  a  spot  of  good  ground. 

Touring  is  not  easy  but  it  is  interesting.  To 
go  out  on  a  pleasant  day  in  an  inhabited,  civilized 
land  for  an  exhilerating  horseback  ride  with  good 
roads  and  pleasant  surroundings  is  very  delight- 
ful. It  is  quite  another  thing  to  ride  for  hours  in 
the  burning  heat  of  summer  over  desert  and  sandy 
plains  —  no  trees  —  no  grass  —  no  habitation  — 
or   miles    and   miles    over    steep,    rocky,    barren 


1 .  Armenian  women  in  Maragha  spinning,  knitting  and  winding  thread. 

2.  Moslem  village  women  spinning,  combing  and  knitting  wool. 


TOURING  121 

mountain  passes,  or  in  winter  over  snow,  ice  and 
mud,  or  in  a  storm  of  wind,  rain  or  snow,  aching 
and  tired,  parched  with  heat  or  wet  and  cold,  to 
reach  a  dark,  dirty,  uninviting  stopping  place 
where  to  spend  the  night.  A  towel  dipped  in  cold 
water  placed  on  the  head  under  the  hat  with  white 
cheese  cloth  wrapped  about  the  hat  are  some  pro- 
tection in  heat;  warm  clothing,  arctics,  leggings, 
wool  gloves  or  mittens,  and  fur  cap  are  very  ac- 
ceptable in  winter ;  in  a  rain  storm  the  waterproof 
raincoat  is  indispensable.  All  these  things,  and 
whatever  else  may  be  invented  for  comfort,  fail 
to  make  the  ride  easy.  Quite  a  contrast  to  an 
elegant  Pullman!  After  such  a  ride  of  several 
hours  almost  any  kind  of  shelter  is  gladly  wel- 
comed. A  broom  is  brought  and  half-inch  thick 
dust  that  has  been  quietly  resting  now  begins  to 
fly.  A  piece  of  carpet  is  spread.  If  it  is  winter 
a  fire  is  built  in  the  fireplace.  Possibly  smoke 
fills  the  room  on  account  of  defective  chimney. 
The  camp  bedstead  is  put  in  place.  We  lie  down 
a  few  moments.  The  steaming  samovar  is 
brought.  Tea  is  steeped.  How  refreshing  it  is! 
We  drink  and  feel  rested.  The  cook  proceeds  to 
prepare  a  supper.  If  there  is  time  a  chicken  will 
be  nice,  but  most  often  there  is  not  time  for  that. 
Generally  a  piece  of  mutton  can  be  procured.  We 
can  have  bread,  rice,  cheese,  herbs,  onions,  pota- 
toes, fruit,  nuts,  sweet  milk,  buttermilk,  butter, 
honey.  Eggs  can  always  be  obtained.  As  the 
butter  to  fry  them  in  is  not  always  unobjection- 
able we  usually  prefer  boiled  eggs.  While  supper 
is   being  prepared   we   engage  in   gospel   work. 


122  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

Perhaps  a  crowd  of  curious  women  have  already 
come  to  see  the  show,  for  we  are  a  great  show  to 
them.  They  are  just  as  interested  in  studying  us 
as  we  are  in  studying  them.  We  have  with  us 
our  knife,  fork  and  spoon.  We  are  amused  by 
overhearing  the  remarks  of  the  women  watching 
us  eat.  Nothing  escapes  their  notice  —  the  nap- 
kin, the  eating  even  rice  with  a  fork,  all  come  in 
for  remarks.  We  carefully  put  our  traps  out  of 
the  way  of  light  fingers.  We  try  to  give  our  mes- 
sage in  a  way  that  shall  reach  the  understanding 
and  the  heart.  We  think  we  are  talking  simply, 
plainly,  convincingly ;  surely  they  will  immediate- 
ly and  gladly  accept  the  truth,  when  to  our  con- 
sternation some  one  calls  out,  ^^How  many  chil- 
dren have  youT^  ^^You  are  not  married!'' 
*^You  are  a  girl!"  ''WhjV  ^'Didn't  any  one 
want  you?"  and  we  hear  all  sorts  of  incongruous 
questions  and  remarks.  Our  hearts  sink  within 
us.  We  think  of  America,  of  home  and  friends, 
of  the  privileges  we  enjoyed  there,  the  quiet 
lofty,  solemn  churches,  the  reverent  assemblies, 
the  enthusiastic  meetings,  the  clean,  nicely 
dressed,  orderly  congregations  —  how  much  good 
we  might  have  done  there.  We  are  tempted  to 
say  ^  ^  What  is  the  use  of  it  all  —  the  isolation  and 
loneliness  in  the  midst  of  these  unappreciative,  un- 
thankful people,  and  all  this  trouble  and  ex- 
pense?" So  Satan  tempts.  Then  we  cry  to  God. 
He  helps  and  comforts  and  strengthens,  and  we 
begin  again.  We  remember  the  commands  and 
the  promises,  ^^I  will  not  fail  thee  nor  forsake 
thee."    *^Have  not  I  commanded  thee?"     ^'Be 


TOURING  123 

strong  and  of  a  good  courage.  Be  not  afraid, 
neither  be  thou  dismayed,  for  the  Lord  thy  God 
is  with  thee  wherever  thou  goesf  ''And,  lo!  I 
am  with  you  always.''  We  must  ''go  tell,''  be  it 
difficult  or  easy,*  "whether  they  will  hear  or 
whether  they  will  forbear."  Many  a  time  have  I 
had  the  same  experience  as  Miss  Fiske  when  try- 
ing to  preach  to  a  crowd  of  village  women.  She 
would  request  them  to  be  still  and  listen.  Then 
ever>^  one  would  tell  every  one  else  to  be  still, 
thus  making  more  noise  than  before. 

But  we  do  not  by  any  means  always  have 
noisy  meetings.  Time  and  again  would  these 
companies  of  women  listen  with  breathless  at- 
tention, drinking  in  the  precious  words  and  with 
sighs  exclaiming  "If  what  you  say  is  true,  we 
are  all  lost."  "We  will  die  in  our  sins  for  no 
one  has  taught  us  any  better."  Or  we  may  hear 
a  remark  from  a  self-satisfied  Moslem  woman,  like 
the  following,  "What  a  pity  such  a  nice,  refined 
lady  as  you  are  is  going  to  Hell."  Or  we  may 
hear  an  encouraging  word,  as  when  I  entered  a 
room  where  sat  a  woman  alone.  Looking  up  she 
recognized  me  and  exclaimed,  "I  know  you,  you 
have  been  here  before."  Then  to  prove  that 
she  knew  me  she  repeated  a  verse  I  had  taught 
her  eight  years  previously.  It  was  this,  "Wash 
me  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow."  She  said 
she  had  been  praying  that  prayer  all  the  years. 
Yes,  they  do  understand  and  remember  much  that 
we  tell  them,  as  I  have  often  experienced  when 
afterwards  revisiting  a  place  where  I  had  thought 
nothing  was  accomplished,  I  would  hear  my  own 


124  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

words  repeated,  and  some  would  tell  me  they  were 
trying  to  do  as  I  had  taught  them.  In  one  of  my 
reports,  speaking  of  a  village  I  had  visited,  I  find 
these  words :  ' '  The  women  there  seemed  hungry 
and  thirsty  for  the  truth,  and  they  listened  most 
attentively  as  we  spoke  to  them.  Our  opportun- 
ities were  not  confined  to  the  hour  while  we  were 
holding  a  meeting,  but  at  all  hours  they  were  with 
us,  and  we  had  much  religious  conversation  with 
them. ' '  Again,  speaking  of  a  tour,  '  ^  Everywhere 
the  women  listened  attentively  and  eagerly  to  the 
words  we  spoke. ' '  A  tour  of  forty-five  days  made 
by  Mrs.  Van  Hook  and  myself  in  the  Kara  Dagh 
mountains  north  of  Tabriz  was  full  of  interesting 
experiences.  Sabbath  day  as  we  rested  at  a 
Kurdish  village  we  held  a  meeting  in  the  morning 
on  a  low  roof.  There  were  men  on  the  right,  wo- 
men on  the  left,  and  boys  and  girls  in  front.  All 
listened  quietly  and  attentively  as  we  sang,  read, 
preached  and  prayed.  Companies  thronged  us 
all  the  day,  coming  to  our  room  or  gathering 
around  us  when  we  stepped  outside  our  room,  and 
we  endeavored  to  improve  the  opportunities.  At 
the  Armenian  town,  Khaniga,  where  we  rented 
rooms  and  made  our  headquarters  for  six  weeks,- 
there  were  daily  efforts  for  the  people  of  the 
town.  From  there  I  visited  a  Moslem  village. 
After  climbing  a  mountain  up  and  down,  much  of 
the  way  on  foot  because  it  was  so  steep  I  could 
not  sit  on  the  horse,  I  reached  the  village  in  a 
narrow  valley.  Quickly  the  room  where  I  put 
up  was  filled  with  a  crowd  of  curious  women  and 
men,  and  the  windows  too  were  crowded  with  on- 


TOURING  125 

lookers.  For  an  hour  or  more  I  talked  and  read 
to  them.  Then  I  begged  them  to  go  away  and  let 
me  have  a  little  chance  for  rest  and  lunch.  I  only 
had  a  little  bit  of  rest  for  they  were  back  again 
and  more  than  ever,  not  a  foot  of  space  in  the 
room  to  spare.  I  stood  and  preached  to  them 
two  hours.  Some  listened  eagerly,  some  got 
angry,  some  said  ^'She  speaks  truth.  ^'  Some  said 
^^We  don't  want  anything  to  do  with  Jesus.  Ali 
is  our  prophet."  There  was  an  uproar,  and  the 
man  of  the  house  drove  them  all  away.  But 
seeds  of  gospel  truth  were  scattered,  and 
they  will  remember.  A  man  who  was  a  read- 
er called,  and  I  gave  him  a  Testament,  which 
he  gladly  received.  In  other  towns  which  we 
visited  we  were  glad  to  sow  the  seed.  Once 
when  on  a  tour  with  one  of  our  native  evangel- 
ists we  visited  an  Armenian  village.  The  priest 
was  not  willing  that  any  place  be  given  us.  The 
evangelist  told  him  we  ^^ wanted  a  place  to  sit." 
Said  the  priest  '^But  you  don't  sit  still."  On 
another  tour,  as  I  talked  with  a  sweet- spirited  wo- 
man, a  convert  from  Islam,  I  asked  her  what  her 
profession  of  Christianity  meant.  She  replied  "It 
means  that  I've  gotten  tight  hold  of  Jesus." 
Sometimes  women  have  begged  me  to  send  them 
a  teacher.  And  my  heart  has  bled  for  them  as  I 
knew  we  had  no  teacher  to  give  them,  not  nearly 
enough  workers  for  the  great  work  to  be  done,  and 
not  money  enough  to  pay  expenses  in  carrying  on 
the  work,  and  realized  how  inadequate  are  all  our 
equipments. 


126  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

I  have  had  all  sorts  of  experiences  and  ad- 
ventures while  on  tours.  Once  when  making 
preparation  for  a  tour  I  had  taken  special  pains 
to  have  my  wardrobe  in  good  condition,  nothing 
expensive  or  extravagant,  only  simple,  plain  ap- 
parel, clean  and  whole,  washed  and  ironed.  Well, 
one  day  in  crossing  a  stream  the  horse  that  carried 
my  baggage  fell  and  rolled  over  and  over  in  the 
muddy  water.  Imagine  the  condition  of  my  cloth- 
ing, my  Bible,  books,  papers,  envelopes,  stamps, 
medicine  case,  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  bread,  butter, 
etc.  Some  Moslem  men  came  along  that  way  and, 
seeing  the  predicament,  wanted  to  know  why  I 
did  not  swear.  Always  the  Angel  of  the  Lord  did 
encamp  around.  God  protected  and  verified  His 
promises.  I  rejoiced  over  the  possession  of  a 
strong  constitution,  and  the  power  to  endure  and 
laugh  at  adventures.  If  my  horse  fell  and  I  rolled 
over  in  the  dust  I  would  get  up  and  mount  again, 
thankful  that  no  bones  were  broken.  Always  I 
rejoiced  that  I  was  permitted  to  engage  in  this 
grand  work.  There  would  be  singing  in  my  heart 
as  I  helped  to  sow  the  seed,  not  knowing  ''whether 
shall  prosper  either  this  or  that;  or  whether  they 
both  shall  be  alike  good."  Eccl.  11 :6.  In  touring  we 
combine  medical  with  evangelistic  work,  for  every- 
where we  find  the  sick  and  suffering.  Here  the  mis- 
sionary physician  has  a  grand  opportunity.  If  we 
are  not  physicians,  a  little  knowledge  of  medicines 
and  simple  remedies  helps,  as  often  a  dose  of  qui- 
nine and  a  little  advice  as  to  how  to  care  for  the 
sick,  wins  friends  and  prepares  the  way  for  gospel 
work.    Indeed,  the  missionary  on  tours  as  well 


TOURING  127 

as  at  home  utilizes  every  incident,  every  oppor- 
tunity, to  advance  the  kingdom.  Once  on  a  tour 
the  physician  had  with  him  an  extra  pair  of  spec- 
tacles that  he  did  not  need.  An  oH  man  came  in. 
He  was  a  reader,  but  he  mourned  that  by  reason 
of  age  his  eyes  had  become  dim  so  that  he  could 
no  longer  see  to  read.  A  present  to  the  old  man 
of  the  spectacles  and  a  Testament  made  him 
happy.  Real  joy  it  is  to  find  at  out  of  the  way 
places  a  reader  and  to  give  such  an  one  a  Testa- 
ment, the  whole  or  portions  of  the  Bible  or  a 
hymn  book. 

We  expect  to  meet  in  heaven  redeemed  ones, 
saved  because  we  went  to  them  in  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  in  obedience  to  His  command,  and  carried 
to  them  the  Bread  of  Life.  Else  why  called  to 
the  bedside  of  a  dying  woman  to  tell  her  of  Jesus 
and  pray  with  her?  Why  the  opportunity  of 
speaking  to  a  crowd  of  women,  who  with  clasped 
hands  and  tear-stained  faces  listened  to  the  story 
of  the  cross?  Why  permitted  to  teach  the  true 
way  of  prayer  to  those  who  come  begging  for 
written  prayers  to  use  as  charms?  Why  led  to 
speak  so  earnestly  to  one  in  apparent  health  who 
died  suddenly  a  few  days  after?  Why  so  often 
constrained  to  listen  to  tales  of  woe  and  helped 
to  point  out  the  only  true  source  of  peace  and 
comfort  ? 

In  riding  over  the  rough,  hilly  country  how 
vividly  would  come  to  mind  the  words  of  the 
prophet,  ^  *  Every  valley  shall  be  exalted  and  every 
mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low,  and  the 
crooked  shall  be  made  straight  and  the  rough 


128  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

places  plain."  Isa.  40:4.  Surely  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  revealed,  when  in  every  village  and 
town  and  city  in  Persia  there  shall  be  Christian 
churches  and  school  houses ;  when  instead  of  ignor- 
ance and  superstition  there  shall  be  light  and 
knowledge;  when  the  family  altar  shall  be  set  up 
in  the  peaceful  homes  and  the  whole  land  shall 
become  an  enlightened  Christian  land. 


SOME  TOUKS  I  HAVE  MADE 

Eiding  south  by  a  circuitous  route  about  sev- 
enty-six miles  from  Tabriz  we  reach  Maragha. 
In  a  direct  line  the  distance  is  only  about  thirty- 
five  miles.  But  as  the  Sahend  mountains  extend 
between  Tabriz  and  Maragha  nearly  to  the  lake, 
and  the  mountain  pass  is  difficult  and  dangerous 
and  infested  with  robbers,  the  traveled  road  leads 
around  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  Looking  down 
from  the  last  height  just  before  reaching  the  city, 
a  picturesque  view  is  presented.  The  large  col- 
lection of  adobe  houses,  extending  lengthwise  for 
about  six  miles  up  and  down  the  valley,  and  up 
the  slopes  of  the  hills,  resembles  a  huge  scorpion. 
The  Sufi  river  runs  like  a  silver  thread  the  entire 
length  of  the  valley.  This  river,  together  with 
the  melting  snow  from  the  mountains,  furnishes 
the  water  supply.  And  we  find  the  valley  very 
fertile,  with  many  villages  surrounded  by  trees, 
fields,  gardens  and  vineyards.  The  antiquity  of 
the  city  of  Maragha  is  very  great,  far  exceeding 
that  of  Tabriz.  It  was  once  a  Nestorian  town 
and  the  abode  of  the  Nestorian  Bishop,  Mar-Agha 
(Bishop  Agha),  hence  the  name.  It  was  at  one 
time  the  capital  of  Azerbyjan  and  one  of  the  mag- 
nificent cities  of  the  East.  But  it  has  undergone 
many  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  and  having  lost  its 


130  ]\IY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

former  splendor,  is  now  a  miserable,  dirty,  un- 
healthy, uninviting  place.  The  present  popula- 
tion is  supposed  to  be  about  25,000.  Of  these 
perhaps  one  thousand  are  Armenians,  and  the  re- 
mainder Tartar  Turks. 

Three  towers  and  two  bridges,  all  built  of 
solid  masonry,  have  stood  for  several  centuries  as 
monuments  of  the  wealth  and  glory  and  enter- 
prise of  Hulaka  Khan,  grandson  of  the  conqueror 
Ghengis  Khan.  One  of  these  towers  is  said  to 
have  been  built  for  the  use  of  the  great  Persian 
astronomer,  Haji  Nasir,  as  his  watch  tower  while 
he  studied  heavenly  bodies.  The  ruins  of  this 
tower  stand  just  outside  the  city.  The  other  two 
are  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  side  by  side.  In  one 
of  these  twin  towers  is  the  tomb  of  the  mother  of 
Hulaka  Khan,  and  in  the  other  that  of  his  wife. 
His  own  tomb  is  on  a  mountain  not  far  distant. 
There  is  a  tradition  that  for  many  years  treas- 
ures have  been  hidden  in  one  of  these  towers. 
Once  a  year  they  cry  out  begging  to  be  found, 
but  no  one  has  yet  found  them.  There  are  on  the 
towers  inscriptions  in  strange  characters,  and 
the  remains  of  tiling  in  blue  and  green  and  black. 

At  the  time  of  the  famine  of  1871-3  Urumia 
Mission  sent  two  Nestorian  evangelists  to  Mara- 
gha  with  help  for  the  starving.  In  1878  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ward  made  a  tour  there  of  several  weeks 
duration.  They  were  thronged  with  visitors,  some 
of  them  earnestly  inquiring  the  way  of  life. 
Afterwards  an  evangelist  was  stationed  there  per- 
manently. There  was  much  encouragement  in  the 
work  and  a  church  was  organized.     Opposition 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  131 

and  persecution  arose.  The  majority  of  the  in- 
habitants are  worldly  and  bigoted,  preferring 
darkness  rather  than  light,  and  many  who  would 
come  to  hear  the  preaching  are  kept  away  by  fear. 
Many  times  have  I  visited  Maragha,  trying 
to  do  something  for  the  spiritual  good  of  the 
people  there.  One  of  the  most  interesting  tours 
I  ever  made  was  in  that  direction,  going  by  the 
short  road  over  the  Sahend  mountains.  It  was 
the  20th  of  July,  1895,  that  Dr.  Mary  E.  Bradford 
and  I  started  together  on  this  tour.  We  ^'fell 
on  the  road^'  on  a  Saturday,  purposing  to  spend 
the  Sabbath  day  at  Lewan,  a  mountain  village 
about  twenty-five  miles  from  the  city.  We  got 
possession  of  some  rooms  in  an  old  mansion,  high 
above  the  village,  where  we  could  breathe  the  pure 
mountain  air.  Our  first  work  was  to  remove 
prejudice,  after  which  we  found  the  women  friend- 
ly and  teachable.  Monday  we  made  an  excursion 
to  some  hot  springs  eight  miles  distant.  Tuesday 
morning  we  went  on  our  upward  climb.  At 
noon  we  lunched  by  a  mountain  spring.  Then 
after  riding  several  hours  in  the  rain,  towards 
evening  we  reached  a  village  of  black  tents  of  one 
of  the  wandering  tribes.  The  tent  we  entered  was 
a  large  one  and  we  found  quite  a  company  of 
people  there.  The  patriarch  of  the  establishment 
was  lying  ill  on  a  pallet  on  the  ground.  This  af- 
forded the  doctor  an  opportunity  of  conferring 
healing  benefits.  The  women  were  exceedingly 
friendly,  helping  us  off  with  our  wet  wraps,  hang- 
ing them  up  to  dry,  placing  cushions  for  us  to-  re- 
cline on,  and  sitting  by  us  lovingly  and  pleasantly 


132  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

as  though  we  had  been  old  friends.  Women  from 
other  tents  also  came  and  sat  with  ns.  And  they 
brought  their  sick  to  the  physician.  A  corner  of 
the  tent  was  curtained  off  for  a  private  room  for 
us,  and  who  could  wish  for  better  milk,  butter, 
curds,  cheese,  bread  and  stew  than  they  gave  us. 
The  night  was  cold.  I  drew  over  me  my  extra 
blanket  and  slept  soundly.  Perhaps  my  sleep 
would  not  have  been  so  peaceful  had  I  known  then 
that  the  two  fierce-looking  men  whom  I  had  seen 
there,  also  guests  and  sleeping  in  the  same  tent, 
were  professional  robbers.  In  the  morning  we 
were  delayed  in  starting,  and  were  further  hin- 
dered by  our  horses  being  poor,  and  the  muleteers 
still  poorer.  It  was  late  when  we  reached  another 
collection  of  tents,  where  we  again  found  friendly 
people  and  lunched  and  rested  a  little.  Then  as 
we  started  on  in  the  afternoon  there  was  a  long 
stretch  of  uninhabited  country.  We  rode  on  and 
on  over  hills  and  valleys.  The  sun  set.  The 
moon  went  down.  The  stars  disappeared  behind 
clouds.  The  muleteers  were  growling,  reviling 
and  threatening  to  throw  down  the  loads.  Final- 
ly we  reached  a  wheat  field  on  a  high  plain  and 
the  horses  turned  aside  to  eat  the  grain.  We  were 
all  walking  by  that  time.  The  muleteers  then  did 
throw  down  the  loads,  and  there  on  the  dry  sandy 
bed  of  a  mountain  stream  our  beds  were  spread 
and  we  lay  down  to  wait  for  morning.  The  wind 
blew  and  some  rain  fell,  but  there  was  no  other 
sound  and  no  other  happening.  Eobbers  were 
prowling  around  but  none  came  near  us.  Early 
dawn  revealed  to  us  that  we  were  not  far  from 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  133 

habitations.  For  a  couple  of  days  our  roads 
parted,  the  doctor  taking  one  and  I  another.  I 
entered  the  near  village  to  find  the  inhabitants 
just  awakening  from  sleep.  With  generous  hos- 
pitality they  received  and  entertained  me.  I 
spent  several  hours  there  preaching,  teaching, 
answering  questions  and  winning  them.  When  in 
the  afternoon  I  moved  on  I  felt  as  though  I  were 
leaving  not  strangers  but  friends.  There  our 
muleteers  left  us.  I  obtained  donkeys  to  the  next 
village,  two  miles  farther  on,  where  I  spent  the 
night.  Again  the  cordial,  warm-hearted  hospital- 
ity of  the  people  amazed  me.  There  was  a  nicely 
carpeted  room  and  plenty  to  eat.  Every  woman 
in  the  village  came  to  see  and  hear.  Some  men 
also  came.  I  preached  and  pointed  them  to  a 
higher  life.  They  frankly  acknowledged  their 
sins  and  accepted  my  words  as  true.  Late  in  the 
night  they  left  reluctantly  and  early  in  the  morn- 
ing they  were  again  present.  An  old  man,  the 
village  scribe  and  a  school  master,  called.  He 
asked  to  see  my  book.  He  began  to  read.  An- 
other man  came.  They  both  read  for  some  time, 
every  now  and  then  asking  for  explanation. 
When  reading  Luke  11 :9-13,  as  I  told  them  of  the 
nature  of  prayer  and  spoke  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
they  turned  to  each  other  exclaiming,  ^'Bah,  bah, 
she  speaks  true  words.  ^'  I  gave  them  the  book. 
After  they  had  been  gone  some  little  time  the  older 
one  returned,  saying  ^* Haven't  you  a  book  for  me 
too?  He  took  that  one.''  So  I  gave  him  a  Book 
of  Psalms.  He  began  to  read  and  then  went  away 
hugging  it  to  his  breast  like  a  happy  child  with 


134  '      MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

a  new  toy.  At  the  next  village  six  miles  further 
on  the  doctor  again  joined  me,  and  together  we 
met  crowds  of  women  in  our  room,  in  the  yard, 
on  the  roof.  The  next  day  we  reached  a  village 
where  we  spent  the  Sabbath,  literally  in  the  midst 
of  crowds.  The  sick  and  afflicted  came  to  the 
physician  for  healing.  Monday  we  moved  on,  and 
on  Tuesday  I  turned  my  face  homeward  via 
Mianduab.  The  doctor  remained  two  days  long- 
er and  returned  via  Maragha.  I  spent  two  days 
in  Mianduab,  and  came  for  the  Sabbath  to  Goigan, 
a  large  town  along  the  way.  There  a  Persian, 
Moslem,  telegraph  operator  called.  He  was  well 
dressed  and  came  in  style  with  four  attendants. 
After  a  few  commonplace  remarks  he  said  ^ '  Lady, 
I  am  not  satisfied  with  our  religion.  It  is  only 
outward  meaningless  forms  and  ceremonies.  I 
am  seeking  something  better. '  ^  I  opened  the  Tes- 
tament at  the  3rd  chapter  of  John  and  handed  it 
to  him  to  read.  We  conversed  awhile,  and  some 
one  came  in.  Nicodemus  like,  he  seemed  afraid. 
Soon  he  was  called  away.  I  marked  a  few  pas- 
sages and  gave  him  the  book,  praying  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  would  enlighten  the  pages  for  him. 
I  afterwards  learned  of  his  conversion  to  Chris- 
tianity. I  reached  Tabriz  on  Monday,  August  5th, 
thankful  that  in  my  experience  the  words  of  the 
91st  Psalm  had  been  verified. 

Thirty  miles  in  a  westerly  direction  from 
Maragha,  and  directly  south  of  Lake  Urumia,  is 
the  town  of  Mianduab.  My  first  visit  there  was  in 
the  Autumn  of  1884  in  company  with  Eev.  S.  G. 
Wilson.     I  find  on  record  these  words:     ''Each 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  135 

evening  a  company  of  eagerly  listening  men  and 
women  gathered  in  the  room  occupied  by  the  mis- 
sionary to  hear  the  good  news,  and  onr  days 
were  spent  in  conversations  with  them.  On  Sat- 
urday I  talked  most  of  the  day  to  Jewish  women. 
Had  not  our  time  been  limited  we  would  gladly 
have  remained  there  to  continue  the  blessed  work 
much  longer.''  So  promising  was  the  work,  so 
encouraging  the  prospects,  so  eager  the  people  to 
be  taught,  that  we  felt  something  should  be  done 
for  them.  But  it  was  not  until  in  1885  that  we 
were  able  to  send  a  man  with  his  wife  to  dwell 
among  them,  to  teach  and  to  preach.  Mianduab 
means  between  two  waters,  and  this  place  is  so 
called  because  it  lies  between  the  Jagati  and  the 
Titivi  rivers,  which  flow  into  Lake  Urumia.  The 
population  of  Mianduab  is  said  to  be  11,000.  Of 
these  only  seventy  are  Armenian,  one  thousand 
are  Jews,  five  thousand  Persians  from  Kirman, 
called  Kirmanlees,  and  the  rest  Tartar  Turks. 
The  Kirmanlees  arQ  a  brave,  bold,  independent 
people,  victorious  in  war,  revengeful  and  greatly 
to  be  feared  by  those  who  offend  them,  but  gentle 
and  kind  to  those  whom  they  love.  They  were 
brought  from  Kirman,  a  province  in  the  southern 
part  of  Persia,  populated  by  a  wild,  fierce,  free 
spirited  people.  So  lawless  and  ungovernable 
were  they  that  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago 
the  government  transported  several  thousand  of 
them,  exiles  and  prisoners,  and  settled  them  in 
Mianduab  with  the  hope  that  being  settled  near 
Kurdistan  they  would  be  a  check  to  the  ravages 
of  the  Kurds  in  that  region.     They  were  some- 


136  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

what  subdued  by  the  change,  but  were  far  from 
anything  like  civilization.  A  Christian  teacher 
who  labored  there  many  years  ago  reported  them 
as  savages,  and  savages  they  were.  Eobberies 
and  murders  were  frequent  among  them  and  fights 
a  daily  occurrence.  At  the  time  of  the  Kurdish 
war  in  1880  the  Kurds  got  the  upper  hand  in 
Mianduab.  They  robbed,  burned  houses,  car- 
ried off  helpless  women  and  children  and  mur- 
dered many  of  the  men.  Pretty  women  and 
girls  smeared  and  blackened  their  faces  and 
dressed  themselves  in  rags  for  self  protection. 
Families  fled,  leaving  everything  they  possessed, 
if  only  they  might  save  their  lives.  Tales  of  woe 
and  suffering  I  heard  from  them  were  heart  rend- 
ing. My  interest  in  these  people  continued  and 
increased  until  in  the  summer  of  1896  I  went  there 
to  sojourn  for  awhile,  hoping  that  by  being  right 
among  them  I  might  the  more  successfully  give 
to  them  the  light  of  the  gospel.  More  than  eight 
months  I  dwelt  in  peace  and  safety  among  those 
wild  and  lawless  people.  Let  us  ^'publish  with 
the  voice  of  thanksgiving''  and  'HelP'  of  the 
^ Wondrous  works''  of  the  Lord.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  my  stay  there,  there  was  a  frightful  scene 
of  murder  and  robbery  within  three  miles  of  my 
headquarters.  All  the  town  was  in  an  uproar  and 
the  excitement  continued  many  weeks.  The  men- 
tal and  nervous  strain  to  myself  during  that  time 
was  considerable,  but  the  Lord  sustained  and 
afterwards  it  was  plain  to  me  that  this  was  His 
opportunity,  for  while  the  people  were  all  wrought 
up  over  the  disturbances  and  the  coming  to  town 


1 .  House  in  a  mountain  village  where  we  dwelt  six  weeks. 

2.  Miss  Jewett  and  traveling  companions  in  front  of  a  tea  house. 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  137 

of  government  officers  and  soldiers,  those  who 
might  have  opposed  my  being  there  were  other- 
wise occupied  and  did  not  notice  that  a  Christian 
had  moved  in  and  settled  among  them.  During 
this  time  I  was  startled  one  day  towards  evening 
by  a  great  noise  in  the  near  vicinity  —  unearthly 
yells  and  screams  of  women.  Looking  out  I  saw 
a  company  of  soldiers  running  away.  They  had 
come  into  that  neighborhood  to  be  quartered 
there.  The  women  told  them  there  was  a  Frank 
lady  living  in  that  street  and  no  soldier  would  be 
allowed  to  remain  there,  so  the  women  drove  the 
soldiers  away.  They  considered  me  as  belonging 
to  them  and  had  taken  me  under  their  protection. 
My  life  in  Mianduab  was  like  a  kaleidoscope, 
no  one  day  being  like  any  previous  one.  Each 
morning  I  wondered  what  the  day  would  bring 
forth,  and  each  evening  recorded  new  experiences. 
Every  day  there  were  opportunities  of  doing 
something  for  the  Master,  either  in  my  own  home 
or  in  the  abodes  of  the  people  —  in  vineyard  or  by 
wayside,  sometimes  with  one  or  two,  sometimes 
with  a  crowd,  sometimes  conversational,  some- 
times a  lesson,  sometimes  quiet,  orderly  meetings, 
sometimes  noisy  ones.  By  the  help  of  God  I 
read  and  taught  them  the  pure  gospel,  at  first  with 
a  good  deal  of  apprehension.  After  a  while  I 
felt  that  I  was  too  cautious,  and  I  determined  to 
be  fearless  in  declaring  the  whole  Word  of  God. 
I  took  up  in  course  the  gospel  of  John,  following 
with  the  other  gospels.  How  the  truth  sparkled ! 
How  clearly  shone  out  the  divinity  of  Christ! 
The  only  way  of  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ 


138  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

was  plainly  declared.  I  endeavored  to  present 
these  truths  in  an  acceptable  manner,  by  reason- 
ing with  the  people  from  their  own  beliefs  and 
showing  them  that  they  did  not  follow  their  own 
teachings,  or  by  simply  reading  to  them  select  pas- 
sages from  the  Bible,  or  by  giving  with  the  read- 
ing full  and  careful  explanations.  Naturally  op- 
position followed.  I  was  warned  not  to  say  that 
^^ Christ  is  God.''  I  replied  that  I  must  preach 
the  Word  of  God  just  as  I  found  it.  When  one 
man  said  to  me,  ^'I  am  a  Christian''  and  I  asked 
him  ''Why  then  do  you  not  confess  Christ  open- 
up?"  he  said  ''I  am  afraid."  One  said  ''I  dare 
not  confess  Christ,  for  if  I  did  in  four  days  my 
children  would  be  fatherless."  Another,  after 
listening  awhile,  said,  ' '  If  we  should  practice  that 
our  heads  would  be  cut  off."  But  they  were  not 
afraid  of  gambling,  smoking,  lying,  reviling,  blas- 
phemy, swearing,  drinking,  quarreling,  fighting, 
and  worse  things  which  they  practiced.  More 
than  once  was  I  carried  off  to  some  house  to  recon- 
cile a  quarreling  husband  and  wife.  More  than 
one  was  made  ashamed  of  his  or  her  evil  practices 
by  the  Christian  teachings  given  them.  And  as  1 
endeavored  to  teach  by  precept  and  example  the 
sacredness  of  the  Sabbath  Day,  they  called  that 
day  ''The  Lady's  Holy  Day." 

I  wish  I  could  give  a  picture  of  some  evening 
talks  and  meetings  which  we  occasionally  held  in 
the  yard  of  moonlight  evenings  and  the  sweet ' '  old 
story ' '  was  the  theme,  of  tea  drinking  at  different 
places  when  the  "Book"  would  be  opened  and 
read,  of  evening  visits  where  again  the  "Book" 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  139 

would  be  the  center  of  interest.  Often  the  men 
would  come  with  hard  questions  and  arguments 
and  the  Spirit  would  teach  the  answer.  There  was 
also  a  kind  of  a  school.  It  was  not  possible  to  at- 
tain real  order  or  regularity,  but  contrasted  with 
their  own  schools,  it  was  excellent,  and  it  was  an 
opportunity  of  getting  hold  of  the  young  people. 
We  had  no  school  room.  On  the  floor  sat  the  child- 
ren in  my  one  small  room,  which  served  as  sitting 
room,  dining  room,  bed  room,  guest  room,  meeting 
room,  school  room.  We  had  the  primer  and  all 
the  Bible  in  Turkish,  and  there  were  lessons  in 
Turkish  and  English  reading,  oral  instruction  in 
geography,  arithmetic,  indeed  in  a  variety  of  sub- 
jects, in  right  living,  in  whatever  manner  circum- 
stances seemed  to  call  for.  Every  morning  we 
would  have  a  Bible  lesson  and  prayer.  Hymns 
and  portions  of  Scripture  were  memorized  and 
the  children  became  familiar  with  Bible  stories. 
Some  days  there  would  be  sewing  and  miscellan- 
eous employments.  Then  we  called  the  room  the 
'^Workshop.''  It  was  interesting  to  see  the  girls 
sewing  and  knitting,  and  the  boys  engaged  in  kin- 
dergarten employments,  writing,  etc.  What  was 
lacking  in  many  ways  was  made  up  in  love  and 
enthusiasm  and  much  was  accomplished.  Seed 
was  sown  and  lessons  were  learned  that  can 
never  be  lost.  The  influence  of  these  lessons 
reached  out  to  parents  and  friends,  many  of  whom 
would  be  present  at  the  morning  opening  exer- 
cises and  Bible  lessons.  Mothers,  sisters,  aunts 
and  cousins  were  helping  at  home  with  the  patch 
work  and  taking  patterns.     All  friends  were  in- 


140  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

terested  in  the  teachings,  so  my  pupils  could  be 
numbered  by  the  hundreds  instead  of  twenty-five. 
My  Sabbath  days  were  the  busiest  of  all. 
Early  in  the  morning  my  pupils  and  others  would 
assemble  and  we  would  have  Sunday  school  for 
the  Moslems.  Then  I  would  attend  the  Armenian 
Sunday  school.  At  noon  I  would  have  a  rest  and 
all  the  afternoon  would  be  occupied  in  evangelis- 
tic work.  The  Sabbath  afternoon  congregations 
were  very  varying,  sometimes  women,  sometimes 
men,  sometimes  children,  sometimes  all  together; 
sometimes  one  or  two,  sometimes  my  room  full; 
sometimes  one  meeting,  sometimes  half  a  dozen. 
The  evenings  would  find  me  tired  but  glad.  Week 
day  evenings  too  were  generally  full,  with  much 
instruction  given,  most  often  conversational,  on  a 
great  variety  of  subjects,  and  closing  with  read- 
ing, exhortations  and  prayer.  I  might  tell  of 
reformations,  of  special  efforts  for  individuals; 
of  a  bad,  troublesome,  disobedient  boy  who  was 
changed  to  a  quiet,  gentle,  manly,  obedient  boy; 
of  increasing  order  and  good  behavior  in  my  little 
group;  of  many  of  the  women  learning  to  leave 
off  swearing,  lying,  quarreling,  etc.,  and  becoming 
enlightened;  of  good  sister  Khan  Bajee,  who  so 
let  her  light  shine  that  they  said  of  her  ^^Khan 
Bajee  is  a  good  Christian'';  of  girls  who  were 
learning  to  comb  their  hair  every  day ;  of  precious 
meetings  when  the  Holy  Spirit  was  with  us ;  of  a 
dying  man's  testimony  as  I  sat  by  his  side,  the 
room  full  of  people,  who  said  ^'I  have  made  my 
peace  with  Jesus." 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  141 

Mianduab  is  a  center  for  hundreds  of  thous- 
ands of  needy  and  accessible  peoples,  presenting 
amazing  opportunities  for  the  missionary.  I 
could  not  visit  in  the  country  as  I  wished,  but  I 
did  go  out  to  many  neighboring  villages,  and  only 
wished  I  had  time  and  strength  for  more.  The 
friendliness  of  my  friends  in  Mianduab  was  shown 
in  many  kindly  ways,  such  as  the  sending  to  me 
of  portions  of  food  on  some  special  occasion,  a 
bowl  of  cream  or  curds,  baskets  of  grapes  and 
other  fruit,  a  baked  squash,  raisins,  nuts,  etc.,  with 
frequent  invitations  to  tea  or  to  dine.  When  I 
was  ill  and  suffering  with  a  severe  cold  the  kind 
acts  and  expressions  of  sympathy  were  cheering 
indeed. 

About  the  middle  of  March  the  weather  be- 
came springlike,  and  in  all  the  Moslem  dwellings 
there  were  active  preparations  for  Noo  Koos  (New 
Year's  day)  which  fell  on  the  21st  of  March. 
Houses  were  cleaned,  sweets  were  prepared,  new 
clothes  were  made,  all  thoughts  were  of  the  com- 
ing holiday.  The  morning  of  the  day  all  —  fath- 
ers, mothers,  children,  dressed  in  their  best,  were 
sitting  waiting.  A  little  before  noon  guns  were 
fired  announcing  that  the  sun  had  crossed  the 
equator  and  the  new  year  is  begun.  Instantly  all 
were  on  their  feet.  There  were  mutual  congrat- 
ulations, hand  shakings  and  good  wishes  for  the 
New  Year.  Then  everybody  started  out  to  see 
everybody.  The  streets  were  scenes  of  gaity  and 
rejoicing.  My  room  was  crowded  with  callers  and 
well  wishers.    I,  too,  went  out  to  see  my  friends, 


142  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

going  from  house  to  house,  visiting  and  feasting 
many  days. 

The  morning  of  April  27th,  1897,  when  I  was 
starting  on  my  return  to  Tabriz,  my  yard  was 
full  of  my  friends  among  the  men  —  Armenian 
and  Moslem  —  who  had  come  to  see  me  off.  My 
room  was  full  of  my  women  friends  and  my  boys 
and  girls.  To  those  in  the  room  and  standing  by 
the  open  windows  I  read  from  the  Blessed  Book 
one  more  lesson.  All  hearts  were  touched  and 
many  tears  were  shed.  When  at  last  everything 
was  ready  and  I  ^^fell  on  the  road,''  the  crowd 
of  men,  women  and  children  accompanied  me  to 
the  river  bank  with  loving  farewells.  When  since 
I  have  visited  Mianduab,  I  have  rejoiced  to  see  that 
my  tarrying  with  them  had  not  been  in  vain.  It 
was  plain  that  lasting  impressions  had  been  made. 
Much  of  the  teaching  had  been  remembered,  and 
there  were  signs  of  improvement.  A  woman  said, 
^'We  have  so  learned  that  now  we  seldom  swear, 
even  among  ourselves. ' '  Some  asked  to  be  prayed 
for.  Many  are  reading  the  Bible  and  there  is 
much  discussion.  ^^The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is 
like  unto  leaven  which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in 
three  measures  of  meal,  till  the  whole  was  leaven- 
ed.'' Matt.  13:33.  My  visit  to  Mianduab  in  1898 
was  especially  a  cheering  one,  with  a  hearty  wel- 
come from  all.  There  were  daily  opportunities 
for  work,  and  the  joy  of  the  work  drove  away  all 
weariness.  The  governor  and  his  wife  showed 
themselves  unusually  friendly  and  favorable  to 
Christianity. 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  143 

In  villages  dotting  the  plain  all  around  Mian- 
duab  there  is  a  wide  open  door  for  the  evangelist 
in  work  for  Armenians,  Jews,  Moslem,  all  these 
peoples  being  friendly  and  accessible.  One  day's 
ride  south  from  Mianduab  is  Sein  Kalla,  where 
lived  a  woman  who  became  a  sweet  lovely  Chris- 
tian. In  the  midst  of  poverty,  temptation  and 
ostracism  she  clung  to  her  faith  in  Jesus.  She 
said,  '  ^  I  cannot  read  and  I  cannot  learn,  but  I  can 
love  Jesus."  She  told  me  how  that  after  she  had 
been  deserted  by  her  husband,  she  and  her  little 
ones  had  been  kept  from  starvation.  A  little 
work  here,  a  little  help  there,  and  generally  there 
was  at  least  dry  bread  for  the  children.  Once 
they  were  six  days  hungry  and  they  had  become 
so  weak  they  could  scarcely  move  when  help  came. 
In  harvest  time,  like  Ruth,  she  gleaned  in  the  fields. 
She  said,  ^ '  I  know  Jesus  will  take  care  of  me  some 
way. ' ' 

Twenty-four  miles  westward  from  Mianduab 
is  Souj  Bulak,  a  city  of  10,000  inhabitants,  mostly 
Kurds,  some  Armenians,  a  few  Nestorians  and 
three  hundred  Jews.  Light  has  shined  in  the 
darkness  there  through  the  instrumentality  of 
missionaries,  native  evangelists,  a  day  school  and 
a  Nestorian  pastor  stationed  there.  Some  have 
confessed  Christ  and  a  church  has  been  organized 
there.  One  of  those  who  embraced  Christianity 
was  a  Kurd,  a  man  of  wealth  and  influence.  He 
was  fearless  in  his  profession,  and  was  ostracised, 
ridiculed  and  called  an  infidel,  but  he  remained 
firm  and  was  teaching  the  Bible  to  his  son.    Not 


144  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

being  able  to  speak  Kurdish,  I  was  not  able  to  do 
much  in  Souj  Bulak. 

From  Souj  Bulak  we  turn  northwest  and 
crossing  the  Suldus  plain  we  come  to  Urumia.  We 
tarried  on  the  plain  of  Suldus,  visiting  villages 
here  and  there.  In  some  of  them  evangelists  have 
been  stationed,  who  keep  up  regular  services  on  the 
Sabbaths  and  teach  day  schools  on  the  other  days 
of  the  week.  I  spent  a  night,  between  Suldus  and 
Urumia,  at  the  village  Shatan  Abad  (The  Abode 
of  Satan).  There  we  found  a  community  of  nom- 
inal Christians  who  had  forgotten  their  Christian- 
ity and  their  own  language.  They  received  us  and 
our  message  with  real  gladness,  and  we  were  busy 
late  and  early  preaching  to  them.  One  of  the 
women,  bewailing  their  fallen  condition,  said  ''We 
are  not  in  our  own  religion.  We  deny  our  faith. 
We  are  like  Kurds.  How  do  we  know  that  our 
faith  is  better  than  theirs  1  We  have  no  preacher, 
no  meetings.'^  Sad  indeed  such  spiritual  dark- 
ness, and  sad  that  we  have  no  one  to  send  to  them. 

In  the  city  and  on  the  plain  of  Urumia  are 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  interesting  and  accessi- 
ble people,  among  whom  some  of  my  missionary 
life  was  spent.  The  last  winter  of  the  nineteenth 
century  I  spent  there  touring  in  Armenian  and 
Ali-Allahee  villages.  Volumes  could  not  tell  of 
all  the  grand  work  done  by  American  missionaries 
in  Urumia  since  1835.  And  that  good  work  still 
goes  on. 

North  and  east  from  Urumia  we  come  to 
Sahnas.  There  much  gospel  work  has  been  done 
by  missionaries  and  native  evangelists.    I  have 


1.  Mountain  Moslem  women  churning  outside  the  tent. 

2.  Tent  in  the  mountains  where  Mrs.  Van  Hook,  Miss  Jewett,  two  Christian 
women,  and  six  others,  spent  a  night. 


SOME  TOURS  I  HAVE  MADE  145 

done  some  touring  on  that  plain.  One  day  while 
there  I  was  exhorting  some  women  to  ' '  watch  and 
pray,'^  one  of  them  exclaimed,  *^0h,  lady,  I  sleep 
so  soundly,  how  can  I  watch  T'  Going  up  into  a 
mountain  village,  off  the  plain  where  no  evangelist 
had  ever  yet  been,  we  were  surprised  to  find  from 
twenty  to  thirty  enlightened  Christian  families. 
The  village  priest  informed  us  that  when  he  was 
a  boy  he  studied  in  one  of  the  Protestant  schools 
in  Turkey  and  was  himself  a  Protestant.  They 
had  a  teacher  and  a  boys'  school.  One  of  the 
women,  a  reader  and  enlightened,  was  taught  in 
our  school  in  Urumia.  Who  knows  into  what 
other  out  of  the  way  places  rays  of  light  may  have 
reached  from  centers  where  we  have  our  schools 
and  churches? 


XI 


KHOI 


From  Salmas  we  make  a  detour  to  Khoi. 
This  is  a  city  of  some  40,000  inhabitants  including 
suburbs,  and  with  the  exception  of  about  five  hun- 
dred Armenians  they  are  all  Moslem.  Khoi  lies 
about  one  hundred  miles  from  Tabriz  in  a  north- 
westerly direction.  It  is  a  strongly  fortified  town, 
being  enclosed  within  a  double  wall  and  a  wide  and 
deep  moat,  and  entered  by  four  strong,  double, 
stone  gates,  all  kept  in  good  repair.  A  succession 
of  batteries  are  built  in  the  inner  wall,  and  this 
wall  is  wide  enough  to  allow  a  road  on  the  top  for 
dragging  cannon.  Wide  avenues  lined  with  trees 
lead  to  the  gates  of  the  city.  The  streets  in  the 
city  are  comparatively  wide  and  straight.  Through 
the  middle  of  the  streets  run  artificial  streams  of 
water  with  trees  planted  on  each  side  the  streams. 
The  bazaars  are  extensive.  When  approaching 
the  city  from  a  distance  we  have  a  fine  view,  look- 
ing down  from  the  overhanging  mountain  over  the 
fertile  basin-like  plain,  watered  by  two  rivers  and 
all  under  cultivation. 

I  was  the  first  American  lady  to  visit  this 
interesting  city,  and  have  had  varied  experiences 
there.  At  one  visit  we  were  having  a  fine  work 
among  Armenians,  crowds  coming  to  hear.  But 
we  were  too  popular  for  the  approval  of  the  old 


KHOI  147 

church  priests,  who  set  themselves  to  hinder. 
They  stood  in  the  streets  and  threatened  with 
dire  calamities  any  who  would  come  near  us.  The 
ignorance  and  superstition  of  those  priests  is  dis- 
tressing. They  fast,  offer  sacrifices,  burn  candles 
and  incense  in  the  churches,  make  pilgrimages  and 
do  works  of  merit,  but  are  loose  in  morals.  Lying, 
stealing,  drinking,  swearing.  Sabbath  breaking 
are  common  among  them,  and  some  of  them  have 
indistinct  ideas  about  the  marriage  relation.  Like 
priest,  like  people.  A  woman  whose  husband  had 
been  absent  seven  years  was  asked  in  marriage  by 
another  man.  The  priest  gave  her  to  him  to  keep 
and  to  care  for  until  her  husband  should  return, 
when  she  should  be  restored  to  him.  As  I  was 
speaking  of  the  necessity  of  a  change  of  heart, 
some  of  the  women  exclaimed,  ^  ^  Why !  What  shall 
we  do  ?  We  are  Christians  now.  Do  you  want  us 
to  leave  our  faith  for  another  T'  When  I  exhorted 
them  to  refrain  from  the  use  of  bad  words  they 
said,  ^  ^  What  shall  we  say  when  our  husbands  whip 
usT'  One  said,  ^^What  do  you  mean  by  ^Christ 
the  wayT  ''  Another  asked,  ^'Who  is  Jesus?'' 
These  were  nominal  Christians.  They  are  very 
strict  about  keeping  their  fasts,  and  have  many 
ingenious  and  palatable  preparations  of  seeds, 
herbs,  beans,  lentils,  nuts,  etc.,  to  take  the  place 
of  meat,  milk,  eggs  and  butter  at  that  time.  Dur- 
ing fast  they  are  faithful  in  attendance  at  church. 
The  pictures  in  the  church  are  kept  veiled  so  that 
sinners  may  not  look  upon  them.  One  day  during 
fast  penitents  knock  before  the  veiled  altar,  beg- 
ging admittance.     A  voice  from  within  replies, 


148  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

^^You  are  not  worthy.'^  ^^Wliat  shall  we  do  to 
become  worthy  V  ''  Repent  of  your  sins. ' '  "  We 
repent.''  Then  the  veil  or  curtain  is  removed. 
They  build  fires  on  the  church  roofs,  run  through 
them,  then  gather  the  ashes  and  treasure  them  as 
charms.  In  a  village  formerly  Armenian  but  now 
Moslem  there  is  an  old  church  which  is  crumbling. 
Its  ruins  are  held  in  superstitious  awe  by  both 
Armenians  and  Moslems.  The  sick  are  carried 
there  for  healing.  The  very  stones  and  timbers 
are  sacred,  and  no  one  dares  lay  sacrilegious  hands 
on  them.  One  day  a  Moslem  carried  away  one  of 
the  stones  for  use  in  his  stable.  That  evening  he 
accidentally  ran  a  hot  poker  into  his  eye.  This  was 
considered  a  punishment  for  taking  the  sacred 
stone  and  he  hastened  to  restore  it  to  its  place. 
An  old  bishop  brought  an  arm  of  St.  Stephen, 
presented  it  for  adoration,  preached  the  duty  of 
ministering  to  the  saints,  and  raised  money  for 
building  a  church.  In  one  old  church  I  looked 
upon  the  head  of  St.  Titus  kept  there  for  adora- 
tion. 

The  appearance  of  Khoi  and  vicinity  presents 
a  decided  contrast  in  winter  and  in  summer.  On 
one  of  my  summer  tours  I  remember  a  gentle 
breeze  wafted  from  mountains  and  lake.  Along 
the  way  there  were  wheat  fields,  some  harvested 
and  gathered  in  great  heaps  on  threshing  floors, 
and  some  not  yet  harvested,  hung  full  and  heavy. 
In  winter  the  damp,  chilly  air  penetrated  through 
warm  clothing,  and  wading  through  melting  snow, 
mud  and  sheets  of  rotten  ice,  the  ride  was  not 
pleasant.    But  there  was  sunshine  in  my  heart  and 


KHOI  149 

thankfulness  for  the  privilege  of  going.  Always  as 
I  rode  through  the  streets  there  I  was  a  great  curi- 
osity. Timid  children  would  scream  and  run. 
Bolder  ones  would  stare  and  call  their  companions 
to  come  to  see  the  sight.  Men  and  women  would 
be  exercised  over  my  appearance.  I  would  over- 
hear them  saying  to  one  another,  *'Is  it  a  man  or 
a  woman?"  ''It  is  a  woman,  see  how  she  gathers 
her  hair  in  a  coil,  see  how  she  sits  on  the  saddle 
with  both  feet  on  one  side. ' '  To  the  women  in  the 
houses  I  would  explain  my  style  of  dress  and 
think  I  was  doing  missionary  work. 

It  was  nearly  nine  o'clock  of  a  winter  morn- 
ing when  I  started  on  my  last  and  most  eventful 
tour  to  Khoi  and  beyond.  Our  party  consisted  of 
Dr.  Wright,  Mr.  Brashear  and  myself,  and  our 
two  men  —  Meshedy,  Moslem  and  Nicholi,  Armen- 
ian. The  roads  were  bad,  and  we  made  slow  pro- 
gress, only  at  sundown  reaching  the  end  of  that 
day's  journey  of  twenty-four  miles.  It  was  the 
month  of  the  Moslem  fast.  The  people  of  the 
house  where  we  stopped,  not  having  eaten  any- 
thing since  early  morning,  were  hungry  and  were 
just  beginning  their  evening  meal.  They  laughed 
when  I  told  them  I  was  hungry,  too,  and  good- 
naturedly  helped  us  get  something  for  our  supper. 
I  was  too  weary  to  work  that  night,  but  the  gentle- 
men had  a  long  talk  with  some  men.  Early  in  the 
morning  we  were  on  our  horses  and  after  a  long 
wearisome  ride  of  ten  hours  we  reached  a  stopping 
place,  too  tired  for  anything  but  rest.  The  next 
day  we  crossed  a  rocky  mountain  pass  so  steep 
that  we  dismounted  and  slowly  climbed,  panting 


150  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

for  breath,  and  resting  on  the  huge  stones  and 
looking  down  on  the  calm,  blue  lake  and  the  plain 
beyond  gradually  rising  into  a  background  of 
mountains.  The  next  day  we  reached  the  mission 
house  in  Khoi. 

There  are  two  centers  of  work  in  Khoi,  one  in 
each  of  the  two  Armenian  quarters.  In  one  a 
Nestorian  native  preacher  lived  and  held  meetings 
on  Sabbath  and  week  days ;  in  the  other  an  Armen- 
ian teacher  drilled  a  crowd  of  restless  Armenian 
boys  and  girls  in  the  rudiments  of  science  and 
Christianity.  He  and  his  wife  were  graduates  of 
our  schools  in  Tabriz.  There  was  a  little  com- 
pany of  communicants  in  Khoi  and  the  work 
seemed  encouraging. 

After  a  few  days  Dr.  Wright  went  on  to 
Salmas  and  Mr.  Brashear  and  I  remained  some 
time  working  in  the  city  and  in  adjacent  villages. 
An  extract  from  my  journal  shows  how  the  days 
were  occupied.  ^'Sunday  was  a  busy  day  with 
continuous  meetings  all  day.  Monday  we  rode 
ten  miles  to  Var,  formerly  a  large  and  prosperous 
town,  but  being  near  the  border  was  almost  de- 
stroyed during  the  Armenian  massacres  in  1897. 
Some  Kurds  from  Turkey  came  down  from  the 
mountains  across  the  border  and  slaughtered  the 
Armenians  living  there.  They  left  behind  them 
destruction,  desolation  and  sorrow.  How  our 
hearts  ached  as  we  listened  to  their  tales  of  woe 
and  saw  the  marks  of  the  destroyer.  In  some 
places  entire  families  were  slain,  in  others  one  or 
two  were  left  to  mourn.  Orphaned  children  were 
there,  destitute  of  food  and  clothing,  sleeping  at 


KHOI  151 

night  on  the  ground  with  no  covering.  We  tried 
to  speak  to  the  poor,  bereaved  people  of  Jesus  — 
the  only  source  of  comfort  —  but  it  seemed  as  if 
no  word  could  reach  them  in  their  utter,  abject 
grief.  We  could  only  be  silent  and  mourn  with 
them.  Tuesday  I  visited  a  Moslem  lady.  Wed- 
nesday I  received  visitors  and  held  meetings  in 
my  room.  Thursday  I  went  to  a  Moslem  house 
and  had  a  good  work.  Friday  at  the  teacher's 
house  we  had  a  meeting.  Saturday  I  visited  an- 
other Moslem  lady.  Sunday  was  again  a  busy 
day.  Monday  we  entertained  the  two  families  of 
the  preacher  and  the  teacher.  Tuesday  we  went 
to  another  village  and  preached  there.  Wednes- 
day I  received  callers.  Friday  there  was  a  snow 
storm  and  we  were  snow  bound.  Saturday  we 
were  mud  bound,  for  the  snow  melted  and  the 
streets  were  impassable.  Again  a  busy  Sunday. 
Monday  there  were  meetings  in  Armenian  houses. 
Tuesday,  Wednesday  and  Thursday  were  filled 
with  calls  made  and  received,  and  preparations 
for  a  tour  to  Maku. ' ' 

Maku  is  the  district  occupying  the  extreme 
northwest  corner  of  Azerbyjan.  It  is  a  region 
inhabited  by  wild  and  barbarous  people  and  in- 
fested with  robbers.  We  left  Khoi  on  the  after- 
noon of  Friday,  March  11,  and  rode  six  miles  to 
a  small  village.  Accommodations  were  very  poor 
and  we  were  content  to  camp  down  in  a  room 
which  the  family  vacated  for  us.  In  a  corner  cur- 
tained off  for  me  my  camp  bedstead  was  set  up. 
Mr.  Brashear  and  the  two  men  took  possession  of 
the  rest  of  the  room.    The  oven  in  the  ground 


152  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

floor  gave  some  heat.  Fresh  air  from  the  skies 
came  down  through  the  hole  in  the  roof.  After 
we  had  been  refreshed  with  tea,  eggs  and  bread, 
Mr.  Brashear  read  and  talked  long  into  the  night 
to  a  few  interested  men.  The  next  day's  ride 
was  a  delightful  one.  The  weather  was  pleasant 
and  the  panorama  of  snow-clad  hills  rising  one 
above  another  on  all  sides  was  grand  indeed. 

Saturday  afternoon  we  reached  a  large  town 
where  we  were  to  spend  the  Sabbath.  We  were 
glad  to  find  two  comfortable  rooms.  I  enjoyed 
sitting  before  a  bright  clear  fire  in  a  fireplace  and 
talking  to  the  companies  of  women  who  came  to 
see  and  hear.  The  message  was  all  new  and 
strange  to  them,  for  no  missionary  had  ever  be- 
fore visited  them.  So  utterly  ignorant  were  they, 
and  so  full  of  their  degrading  superstitions,  that 
it  seemed  almost  as  if  they  could  not  understand 
what  I  said,  even  though  spoken  in  the  simplest 
and  plainest  language.  They  thought  I  was  a 
physician  and  brought  their  sick  for  healing. 
They  beseiged  me  with  entreaties  for  written 
prayers  to  be  used  as  charms,  and  I  tried  to  teach 
them  how  to  pray.  Monday  there  was  a  heavy 
snow  storm  so  we  were  detained. that  day.  Tues- 
day morning  was  clear  and  at  an  early  hour  we 
were  again  on  our  way.  After  an  exhilerating 
ride  in  the  pure  mountain  air  we  found  ourselves 
for  the  night  in  a  village  of  Ali-Allahees.  They 
received  us  cordially,  treated  us  well  and  listened 
attentively.  Wednesday  afternoon  we  reached 
another  Ali-Allahee  village  on  the  top  of  a  moun- 
tain.   Our  hosts  there  were  old  friends.    Our  op- 


KHOI  153 

portunities  were  splendid  and  we  remained  over 
another  night.  We  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of 
those  simple,  kind  hearted  mountain  people.  As 
we  talked  of  Jesus  with  the  aged  patriarch  his 
hearty  "amens"  and  frequent  exclamations  of 
^'Oh,  beloved  God''  and  ''thousand  praises''  in- 
terested us  much.  He  seemed  sincere  when  he 
said  he  was  done  with  the  world,  and  for  the  rest 
of  his  life  would  care  for  the  things  of  eternity. 
I  read  and  talked  to  the  women  and  taught  hymns 
and  Bible  verses  to  the  children.  Not  the  eldest 
son,  as  is  usually  the  case  in  Persia,  but  in  this 
house  the  second  son,  being  the  more  clever  of  the 
two,  had  become  the  head  of  the  establishment. 
It  was  a  large  household  consisting  of  sons,  sons' 
wives  and  their  children  and  grandchildren  — 
four  generations,  from  the  aged  great  grand 
parents  to  the  three  months  old  babe  —  twenty- 
eight  in  all.  One  large  room  was  where  they 
lived.  There,  too,  the  household  stores  were  kept. 
Besides  the  human  inhabitants  there  were  cats  and 
chickens.  A  calf,  a  sheep,  a  lamb,  a  donkey  or  a 
dog  might  be  seen  coming  in  at  any  time.  Camels, 
horses,  buffaloes,  cows  and  donkeys  filled  the 
roomy  stables.  Three  fierce  dogs  acted  as  sen- 
tinels. We  stood  on  the  roof  and  gazed  on  grand 
old  Ararat  towering  toward  the  sky,  all  white  with 
snow  and  sparkling  in  the  bright  sunshine. 

Friday  morning  the  18th  we  again  started 
northward  through  one  of  the  most  uncivilized 
regions  of  Persia.  The  day  was  fine  and  we  en- 
joyed the  ride.  At  noon,  because  we  did  not  have 
any  time  to  spare  for  dismounting  and  lunching, 


154  MY  LIFE  IN  PEESIA 

we  were  eating  a  bite  as  we  rode  along.  A  little 
ahead  of  us  we  saw  some  twenty  horsemen 
stopping  by  the  wayside,  apparently  resting. 
Some  of  them  were  sitting  on  their  horses, 
some  were  standing,  some  were  sitting  on  the 
ground.  They  did  look  fierce  indeed  as  we 
rode  past  and  through  their  midst.  Mr.  Bras- 
hear  had  a  piece  of  bread  in  his  hand.  One 
of  the  men  snatched  it  saying,  ^'I^m  hungry.^' 
"We  laughed  and  rode  on,  but  we  began  to  realize 
that  we  were  among  savages.  No  man  travels  in 
that  region  without  a  loaded  gun  on  his  shoulder 
and  pistols  in  his  belt.  About  two  hours  later, 
as  we  were  riding  over  a  barren  uninhabited 
plateau,  and  not  anticipating  danger,  we  heard  a 
loud  voice  behind  us  calling  out  ^^Stop."  Not 
knowing  any  reason  why  any  one  had  any  author- 
ity or  need  to  stop  us,  we  did  not  stop.  Presently, 
hearing  some  rough  voices  behind  me,  I  looked 
back  and  beheld  the  fiercest,  ugliest  man  I  ever 
saw  holding  his  gun  pointed  at  Mesheddy's  head. 
He  had  first  aimed  at  Mr.  Brashear's  back,  think- 
ing that  the  saddle  bags  on  his  horse  contained 
money.  But  when  Mesheddy  called  out  to  him, 
^^What  are  you  doing?  Stop,''  he  turned  on 
Mesheddy  with  the  threat  *  ^  I  '11  shoot  you  right  in 
your  eyes."  Only  a  movement  of  the  robber's 
thumb  and  Mesheddy  would  have  been  killed.  But 
that  thumb  could  not  move  because  the  Lord  held 
it.  Mesheddy  looked  him  steadily  in  the  eye  with- 
out moving  a  muscle  or  uttering  a  sound.  We 
sat  silent  and  motionless  on  our  horses,  and  lift- 
ing up  our  hearts  in  prayer.  The  muleteer  stepped 


KHOI  155 

up  to  the  robber  and,  taking  hold  of  his  arm, 
pulled  it  and  the  gun  down  and  said,  ''Don't 
shoot.''  Again  we  moved  on.  The  robber,  after 
some  words  with  Mesheddy  demanding  money,  ac- 
cepted twenty  cents  and  galloped  off  and  we  saw 
him  no  more.  We  were  somewhat  frightened  and 
decided  to  stop  for  the  night  at  the  next  village. 
As  we  rode  into  the  village  and  asked  for  a  place 
to  stay  we  were  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  fierce, 
wild,  noisy  men,  women,  boys  and  girls  and  bark- 
ing dogs.  The  situation  was  not  reassuring,  es- 
pecially as  at  first  they  refused  us  a  night's  lodg- 
ing. After  awhile  a  somewhat  civilized  looking 
man  came  forward  and  guided  us  to  a  house  where 
they  took  us  in.  We  were  a  great  show  in  the 
town.  The  host's  two  wives  proceeded  to  fire  the 
oven  in  the  same  room  where  we  were  and  to  bake 
the  daily  batch  of  bread.  Smoke  filled  the  room. 
Crowds  came  to  gaze  on  me,  as  they  had  never 
before  seen  such  an  object.  I  smiled,  spoke  pleas- 
antly to  them  and  assured  them  that  I  was  a 
human  being  like  themselves.  Mr.  Brashear  and 
I  were  eating  our  supper  of  fried  eggs  and  bread 
from  the  same  dish  and  one  of  the  young  men 
sitting  by  and  intently  watching  exclaimed  (much 
to  our  amusement)  ''The  man  is  getting  the  big- 
gest share."  We  also  had  tea,  milk  and  cheese. 
Our  hunger  was  appeased  and  we  were  thankful. 
Then  Mr.  Brashear  read  a  portion  of  Scripture 
and  prayed.  They  listened  attentively  and  were 
favorably  impressed.  Next  there  were  prepara- 
tions for  sleeping.  A  corner  was  curtained  off 
for  me.     ' '  I  laid  me  down  and  slept,  I  awakened ; 


156  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

for  the  Lord  sustained  me/'  Ps.  3:5.  Besides  our 
party  of  four  there  were  eight  other  occupants  of 
the  room  that  night.  In  the  morning  we  took  with 
us  as  an  escort  an  armed  footman,  to  whom  Mr. 
Brashear  presented  a  copy  of  the  Testament  — 
for  he  was  a  reader.  Our  ride  was  up  a  narrow 
gorge  —  grand,  magnificent  Mt.  Ararat  in  front 
of  us,  and  ever  varying  mountain  scenery  on  each 
side.  We  reached  the  fort  early  in  the  forenoon. 
It  is  substantially  built,  right  under  a  mighty 
over-hanging  rock.  We  only  tarried  there  a  short 
time  and  hastened  back  to  reach  a  village  sixteen 
miles  distant  where  we  might  spend  the  Sabbath. 
They  said  some  Kurds  were  following  us  with 
intent  to  rob.  But  they  did  not  overtake  us  for 
we  reached  the  village  and  were  safely  housed 
before  they  came  up.  They  hung  around  all  that 
Sabbath  day  but  did  not  venture  to  commit  any 
depredations  while  we  were  in  the  house.  It  was 
a  time  of  anxiety,  driving  us  to  the  Lord  as  our 
refuge  and  our  deliverer.  Never  were  the  psalms 
of  David  so  precious  as  they  were  that  day,  espec- 
ially the  forty-sixth  Psalm.  We  could  say  with 
the  psalmist,  ^^What  time  I  am  afraid,  I  will  trust 
in  thee. ' '  Ps.  56 :3.  We  gave  ourselves  to  prayer 
and  trusted  and  waited.  Wonderfully  were  we  sus- 
tained. Some  men  called  on  Mr.  Brashear.  Crowds 
of  women  came  to  see  me,  as  they  had  heard  that  a 
lady  had  come  to  town  who  had  died  and  come  to 
life  again.  I  assured  them  that  I  had  always  been 
very  much  alive.  I  had  occasion  to  comfort  a  ten 
year  old  boy  who  was  frightened  at  my  appear- 
ance.   I  read  our  Turkish  Book  of  Gospel  Hymns 


KHOI  157 

with  an  interesting  young  man  and  gave  him  the 
book  and  a  Testament.  It  rained  all  day  and 
towards  bed  time  the  roof  began  to  leak.  I  spread 
my  waterproof  sheet  over  my  bed,  and  with  water 
dropping  inside  and  danger  outside  I  slept  well. 
In  the  morning  we  hired  two  armed  horsemen  to 
act  as  escort.  It  was  in  answer  to  prayer  that  a 
fellow  traveler  joined  our  party.  He  was  armed 
and  military  looking  and  added  greatly  to  our 
little  force.  Grod  sent  the  beautiful  snow  as  a 
curtain.  So  thick  was  it  that  we  could  see  only  a 
little  ways  in  any  direction  and  no  one  could  see 
us.  Our  escort  guided  us  over  the  hills,  off  the 
main  road,  until  we  had  passed  the  dangerous 
places,  and  we  made  the  day's  journey  in  safety. 
That  night  we  were  with  our  friends  the  Ali-Alla- 
hees.  So  kindly  was  our  reception  and  such  a 
feeling  of  rest  and  security  had  we  that  we  slept 
nine  hours  of  unbroken  sleep.  We  were  out  one 
more  night,  and  at  the  last  place  we  left  another 
Testament.  Wednesday  the  23rd  we  reached  the 
Mission  house  in  Klioi. 

We  remained  in  Khoi  a  few  days.  On  the 
Sabbath  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was 
solemnized  and  five  new  members  were  received 
into  the  church.  On  the  first  day  of  April,  with- 
out farther  incident,  we  reached  our  homes  in 
Tabriz. 

This  completes  the  circuit  of  Lake  Urumia, 
touching  and  traveling  over  the  most  interesting 
territory  of  the  West  Persia  Mission.  Several 
times  I  made  this  circuit,  one  of  the  times  occupy- 
ing forty-six  days,  during  which  time  I  rode  four 


158  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

hundred  and  forty  miles  and  visited  twenty  vil- 
lages, towns  and  cities,  ''sowing  the  seed.^'  ''Oh 
when  shall  the  harvest  heV  It  is  sure  we  know, 
but  only  in  eternity  shall  the  results  be  made  man- 
ifest. Our  Tabriz  field  also  extends  north  and 
east,  taking  in  the  mountainous  region  from  Maku 
eastward  through  Muzhumbar  and  Ahar,  on  to 
Ardabil  —  where  there  are  thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  people,  wild,  fierce  and  quarrelsome, 
whose  spiritual  darkness  is  like  that  of  Egypt. 
Then  on  the  King's  highway,  between  Tabriz  and 
Teheran  is  Zenjan,  a  post  that  was  at  one  time 
occupied  as  an  out  station  by  a  native  evangelist. 
It  is  also  a  center  of  an  interesting  and  important 
field  of  labor. 


XII 


MAHMUD 


Very  precious  in  my  memory  is  the  sweet 
story  of  Mahmud.  -  He  was  one  of  the  poor,  miser- 
able sinners  in  Tabriz  who  was  brought  from  the 
dense  darkness  of  ignorance  and  sin  to  the  bright 
light  of  the  truth,  and  a  joyously  blessed  life  in 
Christ  Jesus.  When  I  first  became  acquainted 
with  him  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  had 
been  well,  strong  and  active,  able  with  ease  to  walk 
forty  miles  a  day.  An  incurable  disease  took  hold 
of  him  so  that  he  was  no  longer  able  to  work, 
and  he  became  dependent  on  charity  for  his  liv- 
ing. Long  years  he  lay  a  cripple,  his  hands  bent 
and  crooked,  and  he  was  unable  to  move  his  ema- 
ciated body,  but  his  mind  was  bright  and  clear. 
When  I  first  visited  him  I  found  him  not  only  sick 
in  body  but  soul  sick  too  —  absolutely  ignorant  of 
the  Bible  and  the  Savior.  He  had  become  un- 
happy and  peevish,  fretting  and  complaining  of 
God  because  of  his  sickness  and  poverty.  As  I 
read  to  him  he  listened  with  wondering  curiosity. 
Again  I  visited  him  and  again  I  read.  He  had 
been  thinking  about  what  he  had  heard  and  was 
eager  for  more.  After  that  I  visited  him  often, 
always  reading,  explaining  what  I  read  and  pray- 
ing with  him.  In  his  lonely  hours,  as  he  lay  on 
his  pallet,  he  would  meditate  on  the  wonderful 


160  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

words.  His  friends  and  neighbors  too,  both  men 
and  women,  would  gather  to  hear  what  the  lady 
had  to  read  and  tell  from  the  Christian's  book. 

One  day  I  suggested  to  him  that  he  learn  to 
read.  Most  eagerly  did  he  fall  in  with  the  sug- 
gestion, and  a  twelve  year  old  boy  was  hired  to 
give  him  lessons.  How  quickly  he  learned !  Soon 
he  was  able  to  read  the  Bible,  and  how  he  loved 
it!  It  was  his  constant  companion,  under  his  pil- 
low while  he  slept,  and  by  his  side,  or  open  in  his 
hand  while  awake.  He  would  never  tire  of  read- 
ing to  those  who  would  gather  around  him,  which 
occasioned  no  little  interest  and  discussion.  He 
became  a  true,  humble,  earnest  Christian.  Many 
precious  hours  have  I  spent  sitting  by  his  bedside. 
A  glad  day  it  was  when  Grod's  messenger  went  to 
him,  baptized  him,  received  him  into  the  mem- 
bership and  communion  of  the  church  and  ad- 
ministered to  him  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  His  mother  said,  ^'Mahmud  is  not 
sad  any  more  —  now  he  is  happy  because  he 
loves  his  book  so  much,  and  he  reads  it  all 
the  time.  He  does  not  get  angry  and  swear 
and  revile  any  more,  and  he  is  teaching  me 
too.''  Often  as  he  read  on  late  in  the  night  his 
mother  would  say  to  him,  ^  ^  My  son,  it  is  time  now 
to  put  out  the  light  and  sleep."  He  would  say 
^^Let  me  finish  this  chapter,  mother."  Then  he 
would  forget  and  read  on  and  on.  "When  she 
would  speak  to  him  again  he  would  exclaim,  ^^Oh, 
it  is  so  sweet  I  cannot  leave  off."  Wondrous 
visions  had  he  in  the  night  watches,  when  the  Lord 
Jesus  seemed  to  appear  to  him,  and  how  his  face 


Mahmud,  his  mother,  and  niece 


MAHMUD  161 

shone  as  he  told  them.  It  seemed  as  if  one  were 
looking  into  the  face  of  an  angel,  so  lifted  above 
earth  was  he.  He  used  to  say  *^I  know  there  is 
a  place  for  me  up  yonder/'  and  his  face  would 
glow  with  joy  and  peace. 

One  day  a  friend  visiting  him  saw  his  book, 
and  on  learning  that  it  was  the  Bible  said,  ^^They 
will  come  and  choke  you  as  they  did  Mirza  Ibra- 
him.'' Mahmud  replied,  ^^Let  them  come;  I  am 
not  afraid."  Indeed,  he  longed  to  die  that  he 
might  be  released  from  the  prison  house  of  pain 
and  suffering  here  below  and  go  to  dwell  in  his 
mansion  above.  But  he  became  resigned  to  stay 
as  long  as  the  Lord  willed,  that  he  might  preach 
to  others. 

Because  of  his  poverty  he  had  no  home  of  his 
own  and  must  often  be  moved  from  one  place  to 
another.  There  being  no  conveniences  for  carry- 
ing a  helpless  cripple,  some  men  would  lay  him 
on  a  board  and  carry  him  so.  This  moving  al- 
ways caused  him  great  pain.  When  once  I  visit- 
ed him  after  one  of  these  removals,  he  passed 
lightly  over  his  physical  sufferings  saying  with  a 
joyful  countenance,  ^^I  had  a  good  congregation 
last  evening.  Jesus  wanted  me  to  preach  to  the 
people  in  this  neighborhood,  and  that  is  why  He 
brought  me  here."  Afterwards  friends  bought 
him  a  little  home,  and  there  he  lay  patiently  bear- 
ing his  cross,  nay,  forgetting  it,  because  of  the 
love,  joy  and  peace  in  his  heart.  At  last  the 
angels  came  and  took  him  home  to  Heaven,  but 
the  fragrance  of  his  holy  life  remains  fresh.  It 
was  ten  years  from  the  time  he  first  heard  of 


162  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

Jesus  until  he  went  to  dwell  with  Him  forever. 
During  that  time  he  suffered  much,  learned  much, 
rejoiced  much,  and  lying  on  his  lowly  hed, 
preached  to  many,  and  thus  the  lives  of  many 
were  influenced  by  his  example  and  teaching. 
Could  it  be  possible  that  such  a  transformation 
should  take  place  and  not  be  felt  by  those  around 
him?  Cast  a  pebble  into  the  water.  It  does  not 
sink  without  displacing  circles  of  water  all  around 
it,  and  the  circles  increase  in  ever  widening  areas. 
The  influence  of  Mahmud  was  felt.  The  good 
work  begun  in  that  little  room  of  suffering  is  a 
link  in  a  chain  that  has  gone  on  lengthening  ever 
since.  The  boy  who  was  engaged  to  teach  him 
became  himself  interested  in  the  reading  and 
study  of  God's  word,  was  converted,  grew  up  a 
Christian  man  and  studied  medicine  with  one  of 
our  missionary  physicians  in  the  hope  of  becoming 
a^Christian  physician  for  his  own  people.  Mah- 
mud's  mother  became  deeply  impressed  and  the 
gentle,  lovely  character  she  developed  was  re- 
freshing to  one's  soul. 

This  influence  reached  out  beyond  Mahmud 's 
circle  of  friends  and  neighbors  in  the  city  of  Tab- 
riz and  was  felt  in  other  places.  When  in  the 
autumn  of  1893  I  was  about  to  go  on  a  tour  to 
Mianduab  and  vicinity  Mahmud  told  me  of  his 
brother  and  an  uncle  who  lived  in  Three  Hills,  a 
village  six  miles  from  Mianduab,  and  requested 
me  to  visit  them.  Giving  me  a  letter  of  introduc- 
tion to  them  he  said,  ^'They  will  treat  you  well.'' 
I  went  and  was  treated  well  —  royally.  I  was  a 
guest  at  the  uncle's  house  several  days.    Crowds 


MAHMUD  168 

of  women,  crowds  of  boys  and  girls,  and  men  too, 
came  to  see  me.  Ragged,  dirty,  noisy,  uncouth 
were  they,  but  we  had  a  blessed  time.  Tears  ran 
down  the  soiled  cheeks  of  women  as  they  listened 
for  the  first  time  to  the  story  of  Jesus  and  His 
love.  The  brother  of  Mahmud  was  already  a 
reader,  and  he  began  to  teach  a  little  school. 
After  a  year  I  again  visited  that  village.  There 
was  a  manifest  change.  There  were  the  same 
eager  crowds,  but  all  more  orderly  in  behavior 
and  neater  in  appearance.  Again  we  had  precious 
meetings.  One  evening  this  brother  told  me  that 
he  had  accepted  Jesus  as  his  Savior.  His  study 
of  the  Bible  had  been  the  means  of  his  conversion. 
Another  year  passed  and  he  was  baptized  and  re- 
ceived into  the  church.  Often  did  I  visit  Three 
Hills  after  that.  On  each  visit  I  was  glad  to  see 
that  the  good  work  was  still  going  on,  the  same 
crowds  gathering,  but  greatly  improved  in  appear- 
ance and  behavior,  some  of  the  children  learning 
to  read,  women  repeating  lessons  and  Bible  stor- 
ies which  had  been  taught  them,  and  evidently 
trying  to  practice  what  they  had  learned.  Sev- 
eral men  professed  to  believe  in  Jesus  as  their 
Savior.  One  of  them  was  learning  to  read  that  he 
might  be  able  to  read  the  Holy  Book  for  himself. 
On  my  last  visit  there  I  was  with  them  over 
Sabbath,  and  it  was  a  busy,  busy  day,  with  a  most 
interesting  work  and  a  large  number  of  most  at- 
tentive hearers.  Before  noon  there  were  two  ser- 
vices with  men  and  boys,  and  the  time  of  a  service 
was  not  limited  to  one  short  hour.  At  noon  there 
came  crowds  of  women.     Many  were  ^*  coming  and 


164  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

going/'  so  that  I  had  no  leisure  '^so  much  as  to 
eat."  About  two  o'clock  I  slipped  out  into  an- 
other room  for  a  little  food  and  rest.  Afterwards 
I  started  out  for  a  walk  and  quickly  I  was 
thronged  with  a  crowd  of  boys  and  girls  and 
women.  I  sat  down  on  the  ground  and  taught 
them.  One  of  the  women  said  ^'"Will  you  come  to 
my  house  r'  I  arose  and  went  with  her.  Im- 
mediately a  company  gathered  there.  While  I 
was  talking  to  them  a  call  came  to  return  to  the 
house  where  I  was  lodging.  Some  men  had  come 
there  to  see  me.  After  talking  with  them  for 
awhile  I  went  out  to  the  yard  and  sat  on  a  low 
wall.  There  a  crowd  assembled.  The  bright  eyed 
boys  interested  me  and  I  spoke  especially  to  them. 
How  they  listened  as  I  talked  of  the  Lamb  of  God 
and  exhorted  them  to  be  lamblike.  One  of  the 
men  said  ^^You  have  won  those  boys.''  I  was  ex- 
pecting that  from  that  same  crowd  of  boys  should 
grow  up  a  company  of  true,  Christian,  God  fearing 
men.  The  change  in  them  had  already  been  very 
great  since  the  first  time  I  saw  them.  My  experi- 
ence with  them  was  interesting.  One  evening 
after  a  busy  day  I  went  out  for  a  walk.  A  troop 
of  them,  ragged,  dirty,  noisy,  followed  me.  They 
were  rather  annoying,  but  I  thought  ^ '  What  would 
Jesus  have  me  do?"  So  I  turned,  sat  down  by 
the  side  of  the  road,  talked  to  them  kindly,  told 
them  stories  and  gave  them  some  good  advice. 
Among  other  things  I  asked  them  if  they  could 
not  wash  their  faces  and  hands  and  feet.  They 
w^re  surprised  that  they  were  not  reviled  and 
driven  away,  and  they  became  subdued  and  quiet. 


MAHMUD  165 

The  next  time  I  saw  them  it  was  evident  that  ef- 
forts had  been  made  towards  cleaning  up.  After 
that  I  had  no  better  friends  or  more  appreciative 
listeners  than  those  boys.  They  were  won  for 
Christ,  and  were  growing  to  manhood  upright  and 
respectable.  An  American  musician  would  be  in- 
terested to  hear  them  sing.  One  of  them,  nearly 
grown,  had  the  gift  of  a  sweet  voice.  He  would 
sing  our  gospel  hymns  to  Persian  tunes  and  a 
hush  would  fall  upon  the  listeners.  Were  they 
not  as  truly  worshiping  God  as  if  they  had  been 
trying  to  sing  American  tunes?  The  improve- 
ment in  the  women  too  was  great.  On  my  last 
visit  I  rarely  heard  the  profanity,  reviling  and 
quarreling  everywhere  so  common. 

One  morning  as  I  sat  in  the  room  at  Three 
Hills  a  Moslem  gentleman  called.  Soon  the  con- 
versation turned  to  religious  subjects.  I  handed 
him  a  Testament  and  three  hours  quickly  passed 
as  we  read.  In  answer  to  his  intelligent  questions 
I  would  refer  him  to  passages  of  scripture.  Other 
passages  I  marked  and  gave  him  the  Book  to 
take  with  him.  A  year  later,  one  day  as  I  sat 
in  my  sitting  room  in  Tabriz,  a  caller  was  an- 
nounced. He  was  a  brother  of  the  one  I  had  met 
in  Three  Hills.  He  informed  me  that  they  were 
eight  brothers  living  in  Eock  Spring,  a  village  in 
the  mountains  south  of  Tabriz,  and  that  all  of 
them  were  readers.  He  said,  **We  have  been 
reading  the  book  you  gave  my  brother,'^  and  he 
related  stories  of  Jesus*  life  and  work  as  he  could 
not  have  done  had  he  not  read  them.  I  took  up 
two  Persian  Testaments  and  handed  him  one. 


166  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

We  read  for  several  hours.  Next  day  he  came 
again.  And  again  the  next  day  he  came  and  one 
of  the  brothers  with  him.  They  were  in  Tabriz 
on  business,  and  during  their  stay  they  came  al- 
most daily  for  the  Bible  readings.  I  afterwards 
visited  them  in  their  mountain  village  and  found 
them  there  with  their  widowed  mother,  and  a 
teacher  for  the  younger  boys,  an  exceedingly  in- 
teresting family.  I  gave  them  Bible,  Hymn  Book, 
Pilgrim's  Progress  and  some  other  books,  all 
which  they  accepted  as  valued  treasures.  ^'The 
entrance  of  thy  word  giveth  light." 

If  there  is  joy  in  Heaven  over  one  sinner  that 
repenteth,  is  there  not  manifold  rejoicing  over 
these  precious  ones  plucked  from  the  burning! 
Shall  we  not  rejoice  to  meet  them  when  we  have 
all  reached  the  golden  city?  Is  this  good  work 
ended?  Will  it  ever  end?  No,  it  goes  on  and  on 
and  will  continue  to  increase  in  ever  widening 
circles  as  each  one,  who  by  Mahmud's  life  has 
been  brought  to  the  Savior,  shall  in  turn  become 
a  center  of  influence  and  light,  reaching  out  and 
bringing  in  others  to  the  fold.  Eternity  alone 
shall  reveal  the  results  of  work  for  Christ  done 
by  the  bedside  of  the  poor,  ignorant  cripple  — 
Mahmud. 


XIII 


KABBI  KACHEL 


We  had  not  many  Bible  women  helping  in 
work  for  women  in  Tabriz.  One  Eabbi  Eachel, 
Nestorian,  was  so  earnest,  so  faithful,  so  con- 
secrated, so  devoted  in  her  Christian  life  and  work 
that  I  think  she  is  worthy  of  especial  mention  here. 
For  a  number  of  years  she  labored  among  the 
women  in  Tabriz  until  she  became  ill  and  was 
taken  to  the  home  of  her  daughter  in  Urumia  to 
die.  That  terrible  disease,  cancer,  had  poisoned 
her  whole  system  and  death  came  as  a  glad  release 
from  pain  and  suffering  on  earth  to  joy  and  rest 
in  heaven.  When  she  left  us  there  was  only  the 
voice  of  regret  from  those  whom  she  used  to  visit 
in  Tabriz  —  *'Why  doesn't  Rabbi  Eachel  come 
any  more?"  ^^She  was  our  teacher  and  preach- 
er. We  loved  to  have  her  come  for  she  taught 
us  good  words."  For  many  years  I  have  pre- 
served a  copy  of  a  letter  she  wrote  to  a  Christian 
woman  in  America.  It  is  translated  from  the 
Syriac.  ^^To  my  Beloved  Sister  in  Christ:  I 
have  peace  and  love  for  you.  With  a  handshake 
I  wish  to  pour  my  peace  upon  you,  and  ask  a  share 
in  your  sisterhood  and  an  opportunity  for  a  few 
minutes  talk.  I  wish  to  bring  before  your  hon- 
ored presence  the  condition  of  the  church  in  Tab- 
riz.    Thirteen  years  before  this,  I,  with  my  fam- 


168  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

ily,  was  invited  to  work  here.  With  willingness 
we  came,  hoping  that  we  might  work  in  this  ready 
field  for  many  years,  but  by  the  will  of  the  Lord 
it  was  not  to  be.  Before  one  year  had  ended  my 
husband,  son  and  daughter  in  one  month  died. 
Like  Naomi,  I  returned  empty  to  Urumia.  This 
is  the  fourth  year  now  since  again  the  will  of 
the  Lord  has  brought  me  here.  I  am  rejoicing 
that  I  have  the  opportunity.  At  that  time  only 
two  houses  I  visited  for  prayer.  Now  there  are 
more  than  sixty  houses  that  I  can  enter  with  per- 
fect freedom.  Doors  that  at  that  time  were  locked 
are  now  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord  and  Savior 
opened,  although  there  are  many  against  us. 
Among  the  Mohammedan  people  there  are  many 
who  receive  our  gospel,  yet  because  there  is  no 
freedom  our  hearts  bum  for  them.  Many  times 
as  we  go  to  their  houses,  or  they  enter  our  houses, 
we  hear  them  say,  'Indeed  this  religion  is  true, 
but  what  can  we  do?  We  are  afraid  for  there  is 
no  freedom  for  us.'  Pray  ye  that  our  Savior 
himself  with  free  grace  may  quickly  open  the  door 
for  them.  Our  work  is  more  with  the  Armenians, 
a  lofty  and  proud  people  who  think  that  all  the 
other  people  in  the  world  are  people  of  only  one 
eye,  and  they  the  possessors  of  two.  Working 
for  them  is  very  difficult  that  they  might  throw 
away  their  false  hopes  and  their  belief  in  their 
good  works.  Through  all  from  day  to  day  it  is 
the  word  of  the  cross,  the  word  of  the  cross. 
Like  a  hammer  it  must  strike  upon  their  hearts. 
Many  receive  the  truth.  When  we  go  into  their 
homes  they  ask  many  questions,  especially  about 


RABBI  RACHEL  169 

Mary,  the  *  Mother  of  God/  who  they  think  is 
their  Intercessor.  First  they  bow  the  head  to 
Mary,  then  to  Christ.  We  give  answer  as  far  as 
possible  from  the  Bible  by  the  help  of  our  Savior. 
Those  against  us  are  mighty  and  many  but  the 
word  of  our  God  is  mightier. '  * 

I  want  to  tell  of  four  young  native  mission- 
aries who  met  in  our  parlor  one  evening,  two  Nes- 
torian,  two  Armenian,  earnest,  consecrated,  in- 
telligent young  men,  with  their  devoted  young 
wives.  The  Nestorian  was  an  ordained  preacher, 
trained  and  set  apart  for  the  Lord's  work  by  Uru- 
mia  Mission.  His  wife  was  one  of  the  first  girls 
honorably  dismissed  from  the  Tabriz  Girls' 
School.  After  her  graduation  she  taught  for 
some  time  in  this  same  school.  With  zeal  and  en- 
thusiasm they  started  on  their  four  weeks'  jour- 
ney to  Eesht  to  labor  there  in  that,  to  them,  for- 
eign land,  counting  it  all  joy  that  they  had  been 
found  worthy  to  be  thus  sent.  The  other  couple 
came  from  Harpoot  in  Turkey,  graduates  from 
College  and  Female  Seminary  there.  On  account 
of  difficulties  by  the  way  they  were  a  month  in  mak- 
ing the  journey  to  Tabriz.  Then  they  must  be- 
come acclimated,  learn  the  differing  customs  of 
people  in  Persia  and  the  different  idioms  of  their 
language.  For  many  years  he  was  an  honored 
teacher  in  the  Boys'  School  and  by  his  simple  un- 
assuming piety  and  steady  Christian  walk  and  con- 
versation was  having  a  felt  influence  for  good  up- 
on the  young  men  under  his  care. 

Of  the  brave  Christian  martyr,  Mirza  Ibrahim, 
who  languished  a  year  in  a  Tabriz  dungeon  and 


170  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

was  buried  in  a  Tabriz  grave-yard,  Dr.  Benjairin 
Labaree  wrote,  ''Well  worthy  was  this  brother, 
Mirza  Ibrahim,  of  a  place  in  the  noble  army  of 
martyrs.  His  brief  life  as  a  Christian  convert, 
full  of  suffering  and  contumely  on  earth,  was  it- 
self a  moral  triumph  to  which  the  world  pays  its 
tribute  of  respect.  Imagine  the  agony  of  that 
long  year  of  bodily  want  and  pain  and  satanic  as- 
sault on  the  soul,  when  a  word  of  recantation 
would  have  opened  his  prison  doors  and  given  him 
freedom.  Yet  the  temptation  was  steadfastly  re- 
sisted ;  to  the  very  last  his  testimony  was  clear  and 
bold.  His  entrance  into  the  presence  of  his  Mas- 
ter must  have  been  a  blessing  indeed  and  jubilant 
with  the  joy  of  victory.  Such  a  record  of  martyr 
faith  on  the  part  of  a  Persian  Moslem  marks  a 
new  era  in  the  progress  of  the  gospel  in  that  king- 
dom. What  hopes  and  possibilities  it  opens  be- 
fore us  for  the  triumphs  of  Christian  truth  over 
Mohammedanism. ' '  Mirza  Ibrahim  had  been  con- 
verted in  Khoi  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
native  evangelist  there.  His  conversion  had  been 
thorough,  with  no  lingering  friendliness  to  Islam 
or  love  for  the  world.  He  spoke  openly  and  boldly 
and  thus  brought  upon  himself  persecution.  It 
became  unsafe  for  him  to  remain  in  Khoi  and  he 
fled  to  Urumia.  There  for  awhile  he  lived  in 
peace,  but  he  could  not  keep  quiet.  His  friend 
and  companion  (also  a  Moslem  convert)  said  to 
him,  as  they  were  one  day  walking  together,  ''If 
you  speak  so  openly  they  will  kill  you."  He  re- 
plied, "I  can't  help  it.  I  must  speak.  Oh  the 
love  of  my  Savior!    I  love  him  so  I  must  tell 


RABBI  RACHEL  171 

others  of  this  wonderful  love.''  Sure  enough,  he 
was  taken  up  and  put  into  prison.  As  his  apos- 
tasy was  so  great  he  was  sent  to  the  dungeon  in 
Tabriz.  There  he  preached  to  his  fellow  prison- 
ers, they  having  been  justly  imprisoned  for  crimes 
committed.  Who  knows  but  that  some  even  there 
were  saved  by  the  preaching  of  this  noble  martyr? 
After  a  year  some  ruffians  were  cast  into  that  dun- 
geon. One  day  they  tried  to  force  Mirza  Ibrahim 
to  deny  Christ.  When  he  would  not  they  choked 
him  until  he  died.  The  Crown  Prince  permitted 
his  body  to  be  given  for  burial  to  Moslems  who 
were  friends  of  the  missionaries.  When  they 
struck  the  spade  in  the  ground  to  dig  the  grave 
they  found  it  to  be  hollow.  It  was  where  the  body 
of  a  rich  man  (Moslem)  had  been  laid  until  it 
was  carried  to  one  of  the  holy  cities  for  interment, 
and  they  buried  him  there.  Like  the  Jesus  whom 
he  loved,  he  made  his  ^' grave  with  the  wicked  and 
with  the  rich  in  his  death.'' 

Now  let  me  mention  here  a  couple  whom  I 
knew  and  loved.  He  was  one  of  the  Mianduab 
Armenian  boys.  He  longed  for  an  education,  so 
he  was  received  into  the  Boys'  School  in  Tabriz, 
and  there  sincerely  converted.  At  the  same  time 
in  the  Girls'  School  was  one  who  was  making  good 
progress  in  her  studies  and  growing  in  Christian 
experience.  They  became  acquainted  and  loved. 
Both  graduated  the  same  week  and  they  were  mar- 
ried. They  went  as  missionaries  to  Mianduab, 
and  there  they  established  a  home,  clean  and  at- 
tractive. Such  a  home  as  it  was !  —  a  bright  light 
shining  in  the  darkness.     Sixteen  years  they  lived 


172  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

there  faithful  and  true,  standing  firm  for  right 
and  godliness.  She  taught  the  women  to  be  clean 
in  their  homes,  in  their  bodies,  in  speech.  Moth- 
ers learned  to  bathe  and  comb  their  little  children. 
Swearing,  quarreling,  reviling  ceased  among  the 
little  band  of  Armenians  there,  and  they  began 
to  command  the  respect  of  the  Moslems,  which  they 
had  not  done  previously.  Together  these  two 
taught  a  school  and  did  evangelistic  work.  His 
steady,  unflinching  integrity  and  granite-like  ad- 
herence to  what  was  right  and  true  and  Christ-like 
won  for  him  the  respect  of  all,  Armenian,  Persian, 
Turk,  Kurd,  Jew.  Conscientious  in  the  use  of  any 
funds  entrusted  to  his  care,  he  established  a  char- 
acter for  uprightness.  Faithfully  did  he  labor  for 
Christ,  teaching,  exhorting,  discussing.  The  re- 
sult of  their  combined  labors  in  the  conversion  of 
souls  and  in  elevating  and  purifying  society  can- 
not be  estimated  by  man,  and  is  only  known  by  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest.  Seven  children  —  six  sons 
and  one  daughter,  were  born  to  them.  Two  of  the 
sons  and  the  sweet  little  daughter  were  taken  from 
them  to  join  the  angels.  The  daughter's  name 
was  Bytzar  —  Brightness.  After  her  death  the 
stricken  mother  wrote  to  me  the  following  pathetic 
words,  ^'The  joy  of  my  heart  is  gone.  The  sor- 
row of  my  heart  is  very  bitter.  How  can  I  bear 
the  sorrow  of  my  heart?  How  easily  she  gave  up 
her  spirit,  I  cannot  tell  you.  Not  a  foot  she 
moved,  not  a  hand  she  moved,  not  a  lip  she  moved. 
After  she  had  given  up  her  spirit  you  would  think 
she  was  asleep.  After  her  death  she  was  so  beau- 
tiful as  I  cannot  tell  you.     Oh  Bytzar !  oh  Bytzar ! 


RABBI  RACHEL  173 

how  can  I  be  comforted?  How  can  I  forget? 
Sweet  By  tzar!  darling  By  tzar!  beloved  By  tzar! 
her  sweet  words,  her  loved  words,  when  I  remem- 
ber them,  a  little  remains  that  my  heart  is  broken. 
Oh  my  beloved,  you  don't  know  my  Bytzar,  how 
lovely  she  was  to  me,  how  sweet  to  me.  Always 
I  was  hoping  God  would  hear  my  prayer  and  spare 
my  Bytzar  to  me.  But  as  His  will  is,  so  let  it  be.'' 
The  father  wrote  ^  ^  On  the  human  side  we  are  very 
sad  about  her,  but  spiritually  we  are  glad  that  our 
Lord  took  her  to  Himself.  He  did  not  wish  that 
she  should  remain  in  this  wicked  world.  He  has 
claimed  His  own."  Truly  theirs  was  a  model 
Christian  home.  Many  happy  hours  have  I  spent 
there.  So  I  might  go  on  and  on,  mentioning  case 
after  case  of  blessed  results  of  our  labors  where 
the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  been  the 
means  of  saving  souls,  producing  pure  and  lovely 
homes,  and  building  up  His  Church  on  earth.  Not 
all  our  efforts  have  been  so  successful  in  grand 
results.  Often  have  we  been  deceived  and  our 
hearts  have  bled  over  those  who  proved  unworthy. 
Still  the  promises  have  been  verified  and  we  have 
rejoiced. 

One  day  an  incident  came  under  my  observa- 
tion that  beautifully  illustrated  one  of  our  Lord's 
parables  —  the  good  Shepherd  and  the  lost  sheep. 
It  was  in  a  mountain  village.  In  the  evening  after 
a  busy  day  I  walked  on  a  low  roof  for  fresh  air 
and  exercise.  Below  me  lay  the  village;  lower 
down  the  narrow  stream  of  water  that  ran  along 
at  the  foot  of  the  high  hill.  On  the  other  side  the 
stream  another  hill  arose  mountain  high.    Way 


174  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

up  on  that  mountain  height  the  villagers  pasture 
their  flocks  and  herds.  As  I  looked  I  saw  a  flock 
of  sheep  running  down  the  way  towards  the  vil- 
lage, for  it  was  time  for  them  to  be  in  fold  for 
the  night.  The  shepherd  was  going  before  and 
the  sheep  following  after,  ^'for  they  know  his 
voice.''  One  of  the  sheep  lingered  behind  nib- 
bling a  little  longer  at  some  pleasant  pasturage 
he  found  by  the  wayside.  Presently  he  realized 
that  the  other  sheep  had  gone  on  after  the  shep- 
herd and  he  was  left  alone.  He  started  on  at  full 
speed.  Soon  he  came  to  an  obstruction  in  the 
road  which  he  could  not  pass  over.  He  turned 
another  way.  He  wandered  here  and  there  in  a 
frightened,  excited  manner,  not  knowing  where  to 
go.  The  shepherd  called  but  he  was  too  far  away 
to  hear.  He  went  back  up  the  mountain,  farther 
and  farther  away.  Poor  lost  sheep!  How  like 
many  professing  Christians  who  linger  among 
worldly  pleasures  and  get  so  far  away  from  the 
Good  Shepherd  that  they  do  not  hear  his  voice. 
After  the  shepherd  had  guided  the  other  sheep 
each  to  its  place  he  went  back  and  brought  the 
wandering  one  home.  It  was  well  that  he  did  for 
there  were  wolves  in  the  mountains. 


XIV 

DOES  IT  PAY? 

One  day  a  friend  in  conversation  said  to  me, 
*' After  all  your  life  in  Persia  and  all  your  experi- 
ences in  missionary  work  there,  can  you  now  say 
that  it  pays?'^  Enthusiastically  I  replied,  "Yes, 
it  pays ;  it  pays  all  the  time,  one  hundredfold,  one 
hundred  times  a  hundredfold,  yea  a  thousand,  ten 
thousand  times  a  hundredfold,  infinitely  more  than 
mind  can  grasp.''  Then  I  began  to  think  of  my 
life  in  the  East.  I  do  not  forget  that  there  were 
hard  things,  that  there  were  hills  of  difficulty,  but 
the  trials  are  buried  'neath  the  joys.  I  remember 
being  so  happy,  so  enthused  in  my  work,  so  glad 
in  telling  the  "old,  old  story''  that  it  seemed  as 
though  I  were  too  highly  favored,  having  a  good 
time  rather  than  doing  hard  work. 

Now  I  think  of  the  millions  on  millions  of  our 
fellow  men  who  are  sitting  in  the  "valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,"  knowing  nothing  aright  of  the 
true  God,  or  how  to  serve  him  as  they  ought; 
bound  by  the  bands  of  heathenism  and  bowing 
down  to  idols  of  wood  and  stone;  or  enslaved  by 
the  degrading  example  and  teachings  of  the  false 
prophet ;  or  going  on  in  the  broad  way  to  destruc- 
tion by  clinging  to  the  lifeless  forms  of  the  effete 
religion  of  an  old  dead  church ;  or  lost  as  the  Jew- 
ish haters  of  the  Nazarene.    Do  not  our  hearts  go 


176  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

out  to  them  in  pity  and  longing  to  do  them  good, 
to  carry  or  send  them  the  gospel,  to  raise  them 
from  the  depths  of  degradation?  As  we  med- 
itate on  the  condition  of  these  multitudes,  do  we 
not  feel  like  saying  with  the  Apostle  Paul  that 
** necessity  is  laid  upon  me;  for  woe  is  unto  me 
if  I  preach  not  the  gospel.'^  It  is  our  duty  and 
privilege  to  cause  to  reach  to  them  the  glad  tid- 
ings of  salvation  by  telling  them  of  Jesus  and 
His  love  and  thus  gather  them  into  the  kingdom. 
It  is  not  ours  to  count  the  cost,  but  following 
our  leader,  go  on  conquering  and  to  conquer,  from 
victory  unto  victory.  Can  we  estimate  the  worth 
of  even  one  soul?  In  an  old  church  in  the  East 
I  saw  pictured  on  the  wall  an  angel  standing  be- 
tween earth  and  heaven,  holding  in  his  hand  a  bal- 
ance. On  one  side  the  scales  was  the  soul  of  one 
human  being;  on  the  other  side  the  world.  As 
the  angel  held  the  balance  the  soul  side  went  down, 
down,  low  down,  with  a  weight  beyond  reckoning ; 
the  world  side  flew  up  light  as  a  feather.  A  Hindu 
child  was  taught  in  a  Mission  School,  was  con- 
verted, grew  to  womanhood  and  came  to  America. 
On  hearing  her  speak,  watching  her  ladylike, 
graceful  bearing,  noticing  her  intelligence  and 
lovely  Christian  character,  an  eminent  divine  ex- 
claimed that  if  Christian  missions  in  foreign  lands 
had  accomplished  nothing  more  than  the  bringing 
up  and  sending  forth  of  that  young  woman  they 
had  paid.  So  we  believe  that  if  one  may  be  the 
means  of  saving  even  one  soul,  he  or  she  will  not 
have  lived  in  vain.  If  the  value  of  one  soul  is 
more  than  that  of  all  the  world,  what  shall  we  say 


DOES  IT  PAY  177 

of  the  multitudes  that  have  been  saved  and  that 
shall  be  saved ;  of  many  who  have  lived  true  lives 
and  gone  to  their  home  in  heaven,  many  who  are 
still  living  and  by  their  exemplary  lives  adorning 
the  religion  they  have  found.  Not  only  thus  in  a 
spiritual  point  of  view,  but  intellectually,  socially, 
temporally  are  Foreign  Missions  a  blessing  to  man- 
kind; in  the  thousands  who  having  been  found  in 
degradation  and  misery  have  been  gathered  into  the 
mission  schools  and  have  become  intelligent,  influ- 
ential citizens ;  in  lands  of  darkness  opened  up  to 
commerce,  enterprise  and  improvement.  The  mis- 
sionary can  travel  in  China  where  the  merchant  can- 
not go.  In  Thibet  where  no  other  white  person  had 
ventured  the  missionary  went.  What  but  mission- 
ary enterprise  brought  about  the  wonderful  chang- 
es in  India,  Japan  and  Korea?  In  Persia  we  are 
seeing  the  influence  of  the  work  of  the  missionary 
in  the  widespread  desire  of  the  people  for  a  bet- 
ter government ;  a  better  condition  of  society  and 
religion ;  for  schools  and  education  for  their  young 
men  and  maidens ;  in  the  parliament  with  new  laws 
and  a  constitution.  ''Missions  are  not  a  weak 
effort.  They  are  a  prevailing  force.  They  trans- 
form where  they  touch. ' '  They  everywhere  Chris- 
tianize and  elevate.  They  are  a  power  in  religion, 
society,  education,  merchandise,  commerce  and  en- 
terprise of  every  kind.  Yes,  ''it  pays,''  spiritual- 
ly, morally,  intellectually,  universally.  We  were 
riding  over  the  desert  plain  outside  the  city  of 
Tabriz.  All  the  country  was  dry,  hot,  burning, 
and  the  travelers  were  weary  and  thirsty.  Ahead 
of  us  we  espied  a  line  of  mounds  of  the  irrigation    % 


178  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

wells,  and  on  the  other  side  of  them  green  fields 
and  trees.  We  knew  that  water  was  there,  and 
soon  we  were  dismounted  and  slaking  our  thirst 
by  the  cool,  refreshing  spring.  As  the  barren 
land  of  Persia  becomes  fertile  by  irrigation,  so 
by  the  gospel  hard  hearts  are  softened,  sinners 
are  converted,  and  the  people  become  a  changed 
people.  ^^  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that 
I  shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water 
that  I  shall  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life. '  ^  —  John  4 :14. 
Like  oases  in  the  desert,  like  green  villages  dotting 
the  arid  plains,  are  the  native  churches,  schools 
and  Christian  families  where  the  Sabbath  is  kept, 
the  Bible  read  and  loved,  the  family  altar  estab- 
lished and  the  children  brought  up  in  the  fear  of 
the  Lord;  and  many  individual  converts  who  are 
lights  shining  in  the  darkness.  What  care  we 
for  toil,  weariness,  loneliness,  separation  from 
home  and  friends,  exposure,  hardships  and  such 
things  when  we  can  realize  such  glorious  re- 
sults,—  the  *^ glory  of  the  impossible,'^  for  *Hhe 
things  that  are  impossible  with  men  are  possible 
with  God.'' 

Is  it  not  true  that  beyond  and  above  their 
preaching,  teaching  and  active  labors  the  lives  of 
the  missionaries  are  a  power  in  any  land?  I  can 
truly  say  it  is  so  in  Persia.  Standing  like  mon- 
uments of  light  and  purity  and  truth,  firm  in 
righteousness  and  integrity,  courageous  and  un- 
daunted, their  character  is  respected.  They  are 
looked  up  to  as  examples  of  what  is  right  and  God- 
like.    Many  desire  to  imitate  them  and  many  are 


DOES  IT  PAY  179 

following  in  their  train.  Surely  the  efforts  of  our 
missionaries  during  these  many  years  have  made 
powerful  and  lasting  impressions  on  the  Moslems 
of  Persia.  Why  else  was  it  that  the  Shah  some 
years  ago  in  moving  his  harem  to  Teheran  com- 
mitted them  to  the  care  of  the  American  Christian 
physician,  because  he  could  not  trust  his  own? 
Why  did  Dr.  Cochran  on  his  return  to  Urumia 
after  a  visit  to  America  receive  remarkable  hon- 
ors from  Persian  officials?  Why  is  it  that  the 
word  of  the  missionary  is  always  believed  while 
there  is  no  trust  or  confidence  among  themselves? 
Why  is  it  that  Moslem  men  will  listen  with  respect 
to  American  women,  when  they  have  it  in  their 
nature  to  look  down  on  woman,  saying  of  their  own 
women  ^ '  She  is  a  donkey  ? ' '  Why  is  it  that  many, 
and  they  too  of  the  higher  classes,  are  passing 
by  their  own  schools  and  patronizing  our  schools  ? 
Why  is  it  that  they  are  even  now  modeling  their 
schools  after  ours  ?  Why  is  it  that  so  many  come 
to  the  missionary  to  learn  the  truth  and  confess 
even  with  fear  and  trembling  that  they  are  Chris- 
tians? Is  it  not  that  already  Christian  integrity 
is  triumphing  over  Moslem  infidelity?  True  it  is 
that  Persia  is  emerging  from  the  darkness  of  ages. 
The  influence  of  the  gospel  is  telling  on  the  people 
and  on  the  whole  face  of  the  country.  Not  less  than 
twenty-five  thousand  individuals  yearly  come  un- 
der the  direct  influence  of  the  mission  in  Tabriz 
alone  in  its  various  departments  of  work.  In  the 
province  of  Azerbyjan  there  are  more  than  one 
and  a  half  million  souls,  for  whom  our  Presbyter- 
ian church  is  directly  responsible.        For  all  this 


180  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

multitude  we  have  not  more  than  thirty  mission- 
aries on  the  field,  making  at  least  fifty  thousand 
persons  for  one  missionary. 

Christians  have  long  prayed  for  open  doors. 
Now  the  doors  are  open  everywhere,  in  all  lands. 
Nowhere  is  there  a  spot  where  the  missionary  can- 
not go  with  Bible  in  hand  and  preach  to  eager, 
listening  multitudes.  Formerly  came  the  call  for 
more  workers.  Now  the  workers  are  ready,  wait- 
ing, eager  for  service,  but  there  is  not  money 
enough  to  send  them  and  to  carry  on  the  work. 
So  now  we  must  pray  for  money.  Will  not  our 
church  arise  in  her  power  and  privilege  and  from 
her  abundance  bring,  every  man  and  woman  a  will- 
ing offering  unto  the  Lord  until  there  shall  be  more 
than  enough  for  the  service  of  the  work  which  the 
Lord  commanded! 

^' There  is  a  call  from  the  far-off  heathen  land, 
Oh  what  can  we  give  for  the  great  demand ! 

*'If  we  have  not  wealth,  the  rich  man's  store. 
We  will  give  ourselves,  if  we  have  nothing  more. 


**We  will  give  our  feet;  they  shall  go  and  go 
'Till  the  heathen's  story  the  world  shall  know. 

^^We  will  give  our  hands,  till  their  work  shall  turn 
To  the  gold  we  have  not,  but  can  earn. 

^^We  will  give  our  eyes  the  story  to  read 

Of  the  heathen's  sorrow,  the  heathen's  need. 

^'We  will  give  our  tongues  the  story  to  tell, 
'Till  Christian  hearts  shall  with  pity  swell. 


DOES  IT  PAY  181 

**  Though  we  have  little  to  give,  by  and  by 
We  may  have  a  call  from  the  voice  on  high  — 

**To  bear  my  gospel  o'er  land  and  sea. 
Into  all  the  world  ^go  ye,  go  ye'.'' 


XV 


JUST  A  WORD  MORE 


I  was  on  a  long  wearisome  caravan  journey. 
Onr  bridle-path  lay  between  hills  and  through 
valleys.  Because  of  the  intense  heat  we  would 
take  only  a  short  sleep,  rise  in  the  wee  small  hours, 
eat  a  bite  of  breakfast  and  mount  our  horses  long 
before  sunrise.  The  moon  was  just  hiding  away 
for  the  day,  casting  parting  gleams  which  softly 
lighted  hill  tops  and  threw  dark  shadows  in  the 
valleys.  Presently  dawn  began  to  appear.  A  mild, 
gentle  light  was  spread  over  the  land,  which,  as 
it  gradually  increased,  marked  the  lights  and 
shadows  more  intensely.  Through  a  gap  in  the 
hills  the  light  shining  would  cast  its  brightness  on 
our  pathway.  Then  as  we  would  pass  'neath  a 
high  hill  the  shadow  thrown  would  be  intensified 
in  its  darkness  by  contrast  with  the  light  we  had 
just  passed  through.  Again  there  would  be  light 
and  again  darkness,  until  the  sun  in  all  his  splen- 
dor appeared  above  the  hills  and  all  the  country- 
was  flooded  in  his  glory.  We  thought  of  the  Son 
of  Eighteousness,  as  He  shall  arise  with  healing 
in  His  wings  and  shall  shine  to  dispel  the  moral 
darkness  of  that  dark  land.  Will  the  darkness 
disappear  all  at  once?  No,  it  does  not  go  away 
even  quickly.  Long  and  slow  is  the  dawning. 
The  lights  and  shadows  chase  each  other.     Often 


JUST  A  WORD  MORE  183 

clouds  intervene  and  we  are  ready  to  exclaim 
''There  is  no  light.''  But  we  do  know  that  the 
light  is  there  beyond  the  clouds,  and  that  some 
time  it  will  shine  forth  gloriously,  illuminating 
all  hearts.  Do  we  weary  of  the  darkness  ?  Do  we 
long  for  day  without  clouds,  without  shadows? 
Dense  indeed  is  the  darkness,  the  midnight  dark- 
ness. Here  and  there  we  see  a  glimmer  of  light, 
but  the  stains  of  centuries  of  sin  and  uncleanness 
cannot  be  cleared  away  in  the  service  of  one  life 
time. 

Mine  was  a  pioneer  work  —  years  of  grubbing, 
clearing  away  rubbish,  digging  up  stumps,  carry- 
ing and  throwing  stones,  helping  make  ready  the 
ground  for  the  plow,  seed  sowing  here  and  there, 
hard  work  that  shows  not  much  in  the  eyes  of  men, 
only  fully  known  to  the  Master.  He  has  heard 
the  prayers,  has  known  the  longing  desires,  has 
seen  the  efforts,  the  failures,  the  tears,  has  sym- 
pathized in  the  weariness  and  oft  disappointments. 
Lights  and  shadows  have  chased  one  another  all 
along  the  way.  But  oh!  it  was  joy  to  be  able  to 
tell  to  those  who  knew  it  not  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation. 

''I  love  to  tell  the  story  of  unseen  things  above. 
Of  Jesus  and  His  glory,  of  Jesus  and  His  love. 
I  love  to  tell  the  story  because  I  know  it's  true ; 
It  satisfies  my  longings  as  nothing  else  could  do. 
I  love  to  tell  the  story,  'tis  pleasant  to  repeat 
What  seems  each  time  I  tell  it,  more  wonderfully 

sweet. 
I  love  to  tell  the  story,  for  some  have  never  heard 


184  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

The  message  of  salvation  from  God^s  own  holy 
word. ' ' 

^  ^  I  love  to  tell  the  story ; 
'Twill  be  my  theme  in  glory 
To  tell  the  old,  old  story 
Of  Jesus  and  His  love/' 

I  have  told  the  story  to  high  and  low,  to  rich 
and  poor,  to  men,  women  and  children,  to  Per- 
sians, Turks,  Jews,  Nestorians,  Armenians.  Some 
have  heard  gladly.  Some  have  scoffed.  Some, 
because  of  hearing  the  old,  old  story  have  become 
heirs  of  glory.  There  have  been  bright  days  when 
all  went  well,  with  grand  opportunities,  heart 
bursting  with  love,  great  energy  and  enthusiasm  in 
presenting  the  truth,  exhorting  and  pleading  with 
the  sinner  to  repent  and  come  to  Jesus  for  for- 
giveness and  salvation,  the  Holy  Spirit  present 
and  working  with  power.  Then  there  was  light. 
There  have  been  dark  days  —  no  life  —  no  power 
—  no  eager  listeners,  but  bitter  opposition,  weari- 
ness and  disappointment.  Then  the  shadows 
hung  heavy. 

In  the  beginning  of  our  work  in  Tabriz 
we  were  unknown  and  unloved,  and  we  were  treat- 
ed with  opposition,  suspicion  and  indifference. 
Then  we  had  only  a  hired  house,  no  school,  no 
church,  no  Bible  in  the  vernacular  of  the  people 
(the  translation  and  publication  of  that  having 
been  completed  later)  really  no  books  of  any  kind 
which  we  could  use  in  the  work.  From  those  small 
beginnings  already  there  are  great  results.  And 
what  of  the  still  greater  progress  in  the  future? 


JUST  A  WORD  MORE  185 

Then  we  were  only  three  missionaries ;  now  there 
are  twelve  and  the  work  demands  more.  Now, 
in  the  city,  there  is  a  commodious  church  build- 
ing with  a  good  membership,  a  large  number  of 
adherents  with  a  strong  sentiment  in  our  favor, 
two  flourishing  schools,  many  friends  and  many 
visiting  places,  everywhere  eager  listeners,  many 
searching  the  scriptures  and  seeking  the  truth, 
two  medical  plants  (male  and  female),  with  each 
plant  a  hospital  and  dispensary  connected,  crowds 
coming  to  the  missionary  physician  for  healing 
and  at  the  same  time  hearing  the  Bible  read  and 
the  gospel  preached.  All  over  the  surrounding 
country  the  gospel  work  is  being  carried  on  as 
missionaries  and  native  evangelists  go  out  from 
Tabriz,  north,  south,  east  and  west,  from  town  to 
town  sowing  the  seed. 

With  the  Apostle  Paul,  we  can  say,  in  joumey- 
ings  often,  in  perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers, 
in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness, 
in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often, 
in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastings,  in  cold  and  in 
heat,  by  pureness,  by  knowledge,  by  long  suffering, 
by  kindness,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  love  unfeigned, 
by  the  word  of  truth,  by  the  power  of  Grod,  by  the 
armor  of  righteousness  on  the  right  hand  and 
on  the  left,  by  honor  and  dishonor,  by  evil  re- 
port and  good  report,  as  unknown  and  yet  well 
known,  as  dying  and  behold  we  live,  as  sorrowful 
and  yet  always  rejoicing,  as  poor  yet  making  many 
rich,  as  having  nothing  yet  possessing  all  things. 
For  we  preach,  not  ourselves  but  Jesus  Christ  and 
Him   crucified.     For  God,   who   commanded  the 


186  MY  LIFE  IN  PERSIA 

light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  in  our 
hearts  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  count 
it  an  honor  to  have  been  called  to  be  one  in  the 
beginning  and  development  of  this  wonderful  and 
difficult  work  in  this,  one  of  the  most  bigoted  of 
Moslem  cities. 

Implanted  in  the  hearts  of  all  men,  in  all 
climes,  be  they  never  so  ignorant  and  degraded,  is 
the  idea  of  the  worship  of  a  Supreme  Being,  and 
the  hope  of  Heaven.  Truly  do  we  find  this  to  be 
the  case  among  the  different  nationalities  and  peo- 
ples in  Persia,  be  they  Christian  or  Moslem.  I 
once  saw  this  exemplified,  as  on  a  tour  I  was 
spending  the  night  in  a  Kurdish  village.  A  com- 
pany of  the  women  gathered,  but  we  had  no  com- 
mon language  and  I  could  not  read  or  talk  to  them. 
I  managed  by  signs  and  a  few  words  we  had  in 
common  to  make  them  understand  when  I  asked 
them  how  and  whom  they  worshiped.  All  with 
one  accord  raised  both  hands  toward  heaven  and 
looked  up.  May  it  not  be  that  they  were  sincere, 
and  may  it  not  be  that  God,  who  searcheth  the 
heart,  could  find  in  their  hearts  that  which  He 
could  own  and  honor  in  blessing? 

Strange  things  are  coming  to  pass  in  Persia 
today.  Watching  the  progress  of  events,  we  won- 
der how  in  His  overruling  providences  God  will 
bring  order  out  of  chaos.  Missionaries  for  many 
years  have  been  praying  for  religious  liberty  in 
Persia.  We  hoped  for  a  revolution  without  blood- 
shed, but  such  is  not  history.  The  forces  of  the 
Evil  One  are  marshaled  against  the  right.     The 


JUST  A  WORD  MORE  ^87 

kingdom  of  the  Shah  is  divided  against  itself,  and 
the  whole  land  has  been  torn  with  dissension  and 
civil  war.  Even  as  we  write,  and  before  the  ink  is 
dry,  we  learn  of  wonderful  events  and  progress  and 
changes  that  make  us  stand  still  and  say,  ^^It  is 
the  Lord,  He  reigns.''  Dress,  customs,  thoughts, 
purposes,  are  changing.  It  can  no  longer  be  said 
that  the  ^^  customs  of  the  Medes  and  Persians 
change  not.''  It  will  take  volumes  to  recount  the 
progress  and  the  change.  There  shall  arise  a  new 
regime,  a  new  and  civilized  government  over  an 
enlightened  people,  a  Christianized  nation. 


John  3:16,  in  Persian. 


GLOSSARY 


Afghanistan  (af-ghan-is-tan') 
Alaskar  (al-as-kar') 
Alcha  Mulkh  (al-cha  mulkh) 
Ali-Allahee    (al-i-al-lah-hee') 
Ardabil   (ar-da-biP) 
Ardelan   (ar-de-lan') 
Azan  (a-zan') 
Azerbyjan   (a-zer-by-jan') 

Bajee    (ba-jee') 
Beluchistan   (bel-u-cbis-tan') 
By  tzar   (bite-zar') 

Cajava  (ca-ja-va') 

Farsistan  (far- sis-tan') 

Haji  Nasir    (ha-ji  na-seer') 
Hakim    (ha-kim') 
Horepsema  (ho-rep-see-ma') 
Hulaku    (hu-la-ku') 

Ibrahim    (ee-bra-heem') 
Ilkhichee    (il-khi-ehee') 
Irak  Ajam    (ee-rak  a-jam') 
Islam    (is-lam') 

Julfa    (jul-fa') 

Kara  Dagh   (ka-ra  dagh) 
Kazvin    (kaz-veen') 
Kerind    (ke-rind') 
Kerman    (ker-man') 
Khadija    (kha-di-ja') 
Khan    (khan) 
Khoraraan   (kho-ra-man') 
Khorasan    (kho-ra-san') 
Koran  (ko-ran') 


Kurd   (kurd) 
Kurdish    (kurd'-ish) 
Kurisee    (ku-ri-see') 
Kuzistan  (ku-zis-tan') 

Lalan  (la-lan') 
Laristan    (lar-is-tan') 
Lewan    (lee-wan') 

Madina    (ma-dee-na') 
Mahmud   (mah-mud') 
Maku    (ma-ku') 
Maragha  (mar-a-gha') 
Mariam    (ma-ri-am') 
Mesheddy  (me-shed'-dy) 
Mianduab   (mi-an-du-ab) 
Mussulman    (mus-sul-man') 
Muzhumbar    (mu-zhum-bar') 

Omar    (6-mar') 

Salmas    (sal-mas') 

Shatan  Abad  (sha-tan-a-bad') 

Sier    (Seer) 

Souj  Bulak   (souj-hu-lak') 

Suhril    (suh-ril') 

Suldus    (sul-diis') 

Sunis    (su-neez') 

Tabriz   (tab-reez') 

*Takht  Eawan  (takht-ra-wan') 

Tanoor    (tan-oor') 

Teheran    (teh-ran') 

Urumia   (u-rii-mi-a') 
Zen j  an   (zen-jan') 


*  Takht  Rawan  means  a  "moving  throne."  It  is  a  box  from 
five  to  six  feet  long,  three  feet  wide,  four  feet  high,  with  a  window 
door  on  each  side.  It  is  hung  on  two  long  poles,  extending  like  the 
shafts  of  a  buggy  both  in  front  and  behind.  It  is  carried  by  two 
horses  or  two  mules,  harnessed  in  the  poles,  one  in  front  and  one 
behind. 


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HIGHSMITH        #  45220 

